Weapons
by Kalenath Shok-Tan
Summary: Everyone knows what a weapon is. But the most powerful of weapons are not things you can see or touch. They come from within. This is a fanfiction. I own none of the rights to Warframe
1. Chapter 1

**No Defense**

She was not afraid. Fear was as alien to her now as any other emotion. She had them. She knew she did. They were noted on the readouts that scrolled across her vision even when she had downtime. But they did not affect her in any other way. She was... beyond them. Unable to feel.

That occasionally bothered her. But only for short periods before her controls dampened her feelings. She didn't mind. Not really. She had purpose. Not everyone could say that. She had made serious mistakes in the past and she would pay for them for the remainder of her existence. But in the end, what mattered wasn't her. She had sworn an oath to another. To aid Serene while Serene came to grips with her changed status. It didn't hurt that they both shared something. Serene loved the one that she had. The love had never been returned in either case, but Serene at least had a concrete...

A soft cry pulled Lis out of her downtime and she was on her feet instantly. She was bending over the crib that had been set up but... It wasn't Rocky crying. He didn't cry much. He was Tenno. Infant, but still Tenno. Born infected with the Technocyte Virus, he was blessed or cursed with the longevity, enhanced strength, speed and other advantages of Tenno. This was both a blessing and a curse. He learned so fast, and he never made any mistake twice. No one ever had to punish him as Lis dimly remembered her own parents punishing her for infractions as a child. But he was sound asleep.

At less than a year old, he was growing like a weed. There were times when Serene commented that she looked away from him for a second and he grew a centimeter. That was an exaggeration, but not that much of one. And the way the boy was learning... Part of Lis was frightened by the way the boy was inhaling knowledge. She wanted him protected, but children had to able to act as children. She was...

The sound came again and Lis stiffened. She walked to where Sara lay in the tiny bed she had assumed when she and Mishka had arrived at this tiny outpost of humanity. Sara was writhing in her sleep, her face contorted with pain, fear or both. A quick glance at Mishka showed the other girl sleeping fitfully, probably picking up on Sara's distress. Their beds were close to one another. There was not a lot of space here.

"Sara." Lis kept her voice calm and gentle. She had learned how to cope with Sara's nightmares. If she woke the girl too fast or too harshly, bad things tended to happen. _Especially_ if Serene woke thinking her kids were in danger. The former banshee still slept with weapons close at hand despite the peacekeepers literally begging her to stop. "Sara... Come on girl. Wake up."

Sara jerked in place and bit back a cry of some kind. A scream of rage or fear. For a moment, Lis quailed as the girl's face seemed as flat and unemotional as Lis' herself. But then Sara jerked and her hands flew to her midsection.

"No..." Sara said weakly as she felt below her abdomen. "Not again..." It was the third time this week she had wet the bed.

"Sara?" Lis said gently. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." She eased her hands underneath Sara and was stunned as the girl simply let her lift. Sara was a fighter. She wasn't a warrior by any stretch of the imagination, but she was not a quitter. For her to be so... docile... Something was wrong. "Sara?" She asked as she carried Sara to the small cleaning room set up for the apartment. She sat Sara down and moved the girl so she could clean up the mess. "What is wrong?" Then she went still. That wasn't urine! That was _blood!_ She keyed an emergency call to the medics and shifted Sara as the girl cried in her arms. "Sara." She said gently as she carried the girl to the door. The medics would be quick. "It's okay."

"What is happening to me, Lis?" Sara begged as the door hissed and a pair of medics appeared, faces worried. "Nightmares every night. And now... I..." She stared down at herself and went still. "No..." She begged. "Lis! Help!" She pleaded.

"We will, Sara." Lis promised. "Let them take you, Sara. I have to stay with Serene, Rocky and Mishka. But I will be by when I can. Serene will be by as soon as the sedative I gave her wears off." Serene had needed the aid to sleep. She wasn't getting enough. But with a newborn? Especially a Tenno newborn, things were... intense.

The girl reached up and kissed Lis' face, then she went limp as Lis transferred her to the medic's arms. The medics nodded to her, scanners whirring as they darted off. Lis reached up and touched her cheek where Sara had kissed her. Why did that feel so... final? Something was wrong. Something was very, _very_ wrong. Lis shook her head slowly and keyed her comlink.

"Medical bay. This is Lis." She didn't really need to ID herself, they would know who she was and where she was from the transmission. But courtesy was all that kept people sane in such tight quarters. "Sara had another nightmare. The on call team is bringing her in. She has some kind of bleeding."

"_Bleeding_?" The charge nurse asked, worried. "We will be ready for her. Anything else?"

"She is acting... odd." Lis said slowly. "I cannot define what is wrong. But something is." She shook her head. "I will tend Serene. I gave her the sedative the doctor prescribed. She will come to Medical as soon as she wakes." She warned the nurse who sighed.

"Thank you for the warning." The nurse said sourly. But then she paused. "Are _you_ all right? You sound... off."

"I do not know." Lis said with a small frown that faded as the controls dampened her emotions again. She ran a quick self diagnostic and stiff need. Something was not right, but she could find no faults with her systems. "I will need diagnostic checks. Something is wrong. With me or with Sara. Or both of us."

"We will be ready." The nurse promised her.

"Thank you." Lis said as she entered the room only to pause as she saw Mishka awake and staring at her. "Mishka?"

"Lis..." Mishka said slowly. "Your skin..." She pointed to Lis' face and Lis touched her face where Sara had kissed her. She stared as gold flaked off in her fingers. Then... Skin and bone and... Blood was falling freely. Lots of blood. She was...

Lis jerked awake. She stared at where Sara slept. The girl was writhing in a nightmare, but she wasn't bleeding and there was no wetness when Lis checked. Rocky was asleep. Serene and Mishka likewise. Lis shook her head slowly. This wasn't right. Her emotional dampener _should_ have been enough to keep her from having nightmares. This was... not good. If she was having difficulty. She shook her head again, procedure was clear. She strode to the door and keyed her com.

"Alert duty Tenno, please respond." She said quietly as the door shut. "This is Lis."

"Lis." The calm voice of a Tenno replied instantly. There was always a Royal Guard Tenno on duty on that channel at all hours. "Situation?"

"I am...experiencing technical difficulties." Lis said with more than a trace of worry. "My emotional dampener did not stop a nightmare. I request a guard and a full diagnostic. I must not endanger Serene... I..." Why was the floor suddenly coming up to meet her? "Help!" She begged as she felt darkness closing in around her.

Without sense of transition, Lis was standing on a golden plain. But not alone. Sara was there, but... the girl was writhing as tendrils of something dark and evil coiled around her. Familiar dark and evil. Lis didn't know where she knew them from, but she _did_.

"Sara!" Lis cried and... She stared down at herself. She wore a Saryn warframe as she had for so long, but... she wasn't allowed this. She felt her forehead, but no hoops, no control mechanism. This...wasn't right. But then Sara screamed, a long drawn out wail of agony as the coils solidified into Corpus mechs and Crewmen, sinister tools gleaming as they approached Sara who curled upon the ground, sobbing. "No." Lis said sharply. "I will not allow this!" She moved to stand over Sara, her hands suddenly holding a lato and skana. "Leave her alone!"

"Lis!" Sara begged. "No... Don't..."

"Sara...?" Lis asked and then her world shifted. She was standing over Sara's bed, her hands around Sara's... _around the girl's throat_. The girl's face was turning blue! "_No!_" Lis screamed as she released Sara's hands and recoiled. Serene woke up, her hands sliding to her weapons. Mishka jerked up as well, sliding away from Serene with the sensibility of knowing that Serene was _damned_ scary when provoked. Rocky woke with a cry, but... his eyes lit on Lis and went wide. "What have I done?" Lis begged. "Sara... Sara, talk to me...!"

"Lis..." Sara said weakly, blood coming from somewhere to stain the bed. "Not... your..." Her eyes rolled up and she fell over.

"_NO!_" Lis screamed loud enough to deafen.

"Lis!" Serene was out of her bed in an instant, at Sara's side as Lis recoiled, slamming into the wall. "Medical emergency! My quarters!" She screamed at the com. "Sara is hurt!" An acknowledgement came as she examined Sara quickly. Mishka moved to comfort Rocky who was starting to cry, unnerved by all of this.

"What have I _done_?" Lis begged as she slumped to the floor. "Is she...?"

"She is alive." Serene said, breathing a bit easier. "Lis... What happened?"

"I don't know." Lis said softly. Then she reached up and tapped her control mechanism. "It's not working. My emotions... I... Serene..." She begged. "Tell me I didn't just _hurt_ Sara!"

She loved Sara. As much as the dampener would let her anyway. She was sworn to Serene, but she loved Serene's girls and she adored Rocky. It wasn't...right. But she didn't mind. She was a slave, but a willing one. She had done wrong, led evil renegade Tenno to where they could hurt innocents including Sara and Serene. This was her punishment. She had accepted it both for her sake, Serene's sake and Karl's sake. She still loved him even though she knew it was hopeless. She slid as far away from Sara as she could, which wasn't far. The door hissed open and an Ash Prime stood there, a rifle in hand aimed at her.

"Do not move." The Ash commanded and Lis did not. She knew the Royal Guard barely tolerated her presence. A renegade Tenno was not something any _real_ Tenno took lightly.

"Medics?" Lis begged, not moving. She gave a small sigh of relief as a pair of white garbed forms bustled in and took control, easing Serene away from Sara so they could work. "What have I done?" Lis asked nobody. "I..."

"Lis..." Sara croaked despite the medics commanding her not to move. "Not you... Not... you... Ask... First..." She went still and limp.

"Sara?" Lis begged as the medics snatched her up and ran out the door with her. Serene, after a quick glance at Mishka, followed at a run. Mishka stayed with Rocky, holding the tiny boy and rocking him comfortingly. Lis wailed softly. "What have I _done_?"

"She said it wasn't you." The Ash said slowly. But the aim point of his Latron Prime did not waver from her midsection.

"My... emotion dampener is offline... or something." Lis said quietly as she bowed her head. "Make it quick." There could be only one penalty for violating her sworn word. For hurting Sara.

"No." A new voice sounded and Lis jerked as Eliza, Empress of Orokin stepped into the room, her face stern. "Lis, until we know what happened and _why_, you are not allowed to suicide and we will _not_ take your life. What happened?"

"Yes, Empress. I... obey." Lis said, scared. "I don't know what happened... I thought... I was on a golden plain. Maybe... a virtual world? I was in my old warframe." The Ash jerked and she nodded. "It was destroyed. So... Whatever I saw had to be a dream, or a nightmare. I had one before. Sara, bleeding. Medics coming to take her. Then I was bleeding. But..." She shook her head. "It made no sense."

"Nightmares rarely do." Eliza said with a sigh. "You called the duty Tenno, said your dampener was malfunctioning. Then you called for help. What do you remember?"

"A golden plain. Sara was screaming." Lis said in a monotone. "She was surrounded by... something. It seemed almost familiar. A dark and sinister mist. But I can't quite place it. Then the mists became Corpus who were closing in on her, surgical robots and medics." Lis snarled softly. "To do to her what they did to her sister Sierra. Or..." She paused. "Why do I think that? I don't..." She shook her head. "I don't get this. My dampener isn't working. You shouldn't be this close." She said to Eliza who was sitting on Sara's bed now, holding out her hands to take Rocky who cooed as she took him from Mishka. She looked at Lis but shook her head.

"Lis." It wasn't the Empress who spoke now, it was the Ash. "You have acted with honor in all ways, despite many people's blind bigotry. You made a mistake and you strove to fix it. Many of us... have treated you badly."

"I deserve it." Lis hadn't intended her tone to be quite that sharp. "What I did was wrong."

"Do you deserve it?" The Empress asked quietly. "Do you really?"

"Empress Eliza." Lis said quietly. "I made a series of mistakes. I led Nicholas and his renegades to the tower. I poisoned Karl." She was crying now. "I just wanted to make it right. I wanted to save Karl and make what I did right."

"You did." Eliza said with a smile as she tickled Rocky who cooed at her. She sighed as Lis made a noise of grief. "Lis, calm down."

"I am scared, Empress." It hurt admitting that. But Lis was no stranger to painful subjects. "If I can hurt _Sara_, I can hurt _anybody_. The dampener is supposed to stop things like that. I need... diagnostics at the very least." She went still as Eliza and the Ash shared a look. "What?"

"Lis..." Eliza's voice was very gentle now. "Your emotion dampener has not been live since you arrived on Avalon." Lis went stock still at that.

"That... isn't possible."Lis said slowly. "I... have been controlled. I needed the control. I am a danger..."

"We let you believe it was live. Your own discipline did the rest. You are a _victim_." Eliza said sternly. "Yes, you followed Nicholas. Yes, you probably should have gone to the Elders or Karl, but that is the past, Lis." She said as the gold skinned woman started to sob. "In the present, you are a good woman. A good Tenno."

"But I am not." Lis wailed. Eliza shook her head and rose, the baby in her hands. She strode to Lis and gently laid Rocky down in the shuddering woman's arms. "No.. Don't..." Rocky stared up at Lis and his hand came up to touch her face, his own face sad.

"Your punishment is done." The Ash said as he holstered his rifle. He stepped close and Lis went still as his hand touched her forehead and the control hoops _fell off_! "Well met, sister."

"My punishment was _eternal_." Lis protested, not daring to move. The baby cooed again and snuggled closer to her.

"No it wasn't." Eliza said with a smile. "Even Orokin Towers have a sense of justice, Lis. Eternal torment for something that wasn't your fault wasn't justice. You and Luc have served your punishment. It is time to come home. You go to Chirurgeon in the morning to have your skin worked on."

"But..." Lis was shaking. In grief, fear or shock, she couldn't have said. But Rocky looked at her, sighed and fell asleep in her arms. "I..."

"Lis, we need you now." Eliza said softly so as not to disturb the baby. "I checked surveillance logs as I was coming down here. You did not strangle Sara." Lis went still. "You kept her from strangling _herself_."

"A person cannot strangle his or her self..." Lis protested softly. "They pass out."

"She had leverage on the right angle, Lis. She would have strangled." Eliza said softly. "And she was bleeding, but... not from what you did. For her mouth. I think she bit her tongue."

"A seizure?" Lis asked, worry rising again. Mishka looked from one to the other, but remained silent.

"Maybe." Eliza said with a nod. "We need you, Lis. Serene needs you. Sara needs you. Mishka and Rocky need you. We will find out what happened and why. But... we need you. We _all_ do, Tenno Lis."

Lis stared at the Empress for a long moment and then at the Ash who nodded.

"Brother to sister, Tenno Lis..." The Ash said formally. "Yours in life and death."

"I... I am sworn to Serene..." Lis said weakly. She was stunned when the door opened and Serene stepped in, her face grave. But then, Serene turned and lowered the shoulder of her sleeping robe. Lis' eyes went huge as she saw a familiar mark on the female Tenno's shoulder. The tattoo of a Royal Guardswoman!

"I swore to Eliza." Serene said quietly as she stepped up to take Rocky from the stunned golden Tenno. "I may not be a Warrior now, but I _can_ still serve. You did not hurt Sara. You saved her life."

"Serene?" Lis begged. "I..."

"Sister to sister." Serene said softly, holding out her hands for Lis to take. The Ash laid his own hands on Serene's. "Yours in life and death."

"I... I can't..." Lis said with a gulp. "I... do not deserve..."

"We will not push you." Serene said formally. "But our oath stands, sister. You have been my rock in rough time, Lis. Now? We need you. Sister Lis. Tenno."

"I need to know what happened." Lis said with a nod. "I need to know what is happening to me and why. But... I honor you for the thought even if I think you all have _flipped_."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet..." The Ash said with a snort.

"Wait until you see your new warframe..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Fear**

Lis lay in the pod and tried not to fret. It was hard. She was not asleep. She had sort of hoped that the medics would knock her out for this, but they hadn't. Chirurgeon and his staff had spoken of DNA recombinants and energy transfer protocols and she had tuned them all out. All she had heard from the explanation was that her hair would grow back eventually. All of that esoteric medical stuff had gone completely over her head. She was...worried.

Sara hadn't woken. All of the medical staff were very worried about Sara, even though they tried to hide it. Lis could tell that Serene was terrified and she had forced herself to be upbeat as the staff had prepared her for this odd bath simply to keep Serene from falling apart completely. Sara was Serene's daughter in every way that mattered. Lis had heard second hand what had happened when Serene had first found Sara, but she had _no_ trouble believing that the other female Tenno would have reacted that way. Lis herself might have gone berserk if she had seen a Corpus crewman beating Sara. She hadn't been prepared to love Sara. Or Mishka. Or Serene. But she did.

She had to focus. She had to relax. This would not be a quick process, to change her skin back to what it had been before. The tower had changed her body on the genetic level to allow her to serve. She had thought her punishment eternal. She wondered how Luc was dealing with it, if he was also having the same second thoughts she was. She was guilty. She knew she was, and...

"Stop that." A sour voice had Lis jerking and she went totally still as she realized she wasn't in the pod anymore. She was kneeling in sieza on grass, under a single tree. Across from her another warframe knelt. But not just _any_ warframe...

"Saryn?" Lis tried to keep her tone level as she stared at the golden holo that was all that remained of the First Saryn. Her distant ancestor and the one who had created the warframe design that Lis herself wore. "I..."

"It has been a long time, Lis." The other said sadly. "You have not come to see us in a long, long time."

"I wasn't worthy." Lis said softly. "First... Nicholas. I... I shouldn't have followed him. But I thought... I thought he knew what he was doing." She hung her head, aware of her skin now appearing the red that it had been in life. "I was trained to think for myself and I didn't." She said with a sigh. She shook her head. "And then... the tower." She chuckled ruefully. "I really thought the punishment was eternal."

"It could have been." Saryn said quietly. Lis went still and Saryn shook _her_ head. "Luc is fighting it. Resisting it. He still believes he was doing the right thing. Obeying Nicholas."

"Oh no." Lis said softly. "He was always..." She trailed off as Saryn chuckled without mirth.

"Lis, he _chose_ to follow Nicholas." Saryn was sad now. "You followed _orders_ when they were given. _He_ followed. Period. They corrupted him but he did as they wanted. Maybe he can be turned back. Eventually. But... _That_ is not your concern." The First Saryn's voice hardened. "Who _can_ you change, Lis?"

"Myself." Lis agreed quietly. "No one else. I... Message received, Saryn." She bowed her head a little to acknowledge the rebuke. "Sara told me to talk to the First. Do you know what happened?" She asked, changing the subject.

"We were not watching." Saryn sounded worried. "We have been busy trying to keep Nyx from going completely bananas. After hating that scum Rasputin for so long, no one _blames_ her for wanting vengeance. But she is so fixated... We worry she will not be able to change now." The Saryn warframe actually shivered. "As bad as _Nikis_ or _Janet_ going nuts would have been... _Nyx_ is almost scarier. She wouldn't _destroy_ everything. She would just make us all _wish_ we were dead and gone."

"Can I talk to her?" Lis asked, her mind moving at lightspeed. Saryn looked at her and Lis scowled. "I need a scan done on my mind. Serene and Eliza say I didn't hurt Sara, but I think I _did_."

"I will ask." Saryn said with a nod, then she vanished. A moment later a Nyx warframe appeared, standing where the Saryn had knelt, her toe tapping. No, _the_ Nyx.

"Nyx." Lis said, bowing her head. "Can you help?"

"I am busy, Lis." Nyx said sharply. Lis recoiled and Nyx sighed. "Yes, yes I will help. I know I am... not rational about this." She knelt and held out her hands to Lis who took them.

"No one blames you." Lis said with a snarl. "No one at _all_. Do us _all_ a favor and make it _hurt_."

"Oh I am." Nyx replied with an evil chuckle. Then she paused and recoiled.

"Nyx?" Lis asked, concerned.

"Oh my god." Nyx said, sounding stunned, hurt and scared. "Lis... It wasn't you."

"Well, thank goodness for that." Lis said, relaxing. But then she stiffened as Nyx did not. "Nyx?"

"It wasn't you." Nyx repeated. "It wasn't Sara. But..." She swallowed hard. "It felt familiar."

"Nyx?" Lis asked, fear rising.

"I... cannot say." Nyx said slowly. "We have interfered too much. The Balance must be maintained, Lis. You know this."

"I do." Lis said, bowing her head. "Nyx...?"

"Yes, Lis?" Nyx asked as she rose.

"Don't become what you fight, Nyx." Lis said as she rose and before Nyx could retreat, hugged the shade. She could feel tears threatening, but she held them back. "You are _better_ than him. Far, _far_ better." Nyx went still, but then slowly returned the embrace. This was a virtual world, the regular rules did not apply. "Please." Lis begged as she released Nyx and stepped back.

"I am no Oracle to know the future, Lis." Nyx said, her tone suspiciously husky. "But I will do my best." Lis bowed formally and Nyx returned it, one sister to another. Then the First Nyx vanished.

"Well..." Lis said slowly. "If _I_ didn't do it and _she_ didn't do it, then someone else _did_. But..._why_? She is just a kid." She mused as she knelt again. Then she was back in her body. The fluid was draining, She must have finished the treatment while her mind was elsewhere. She kept herself still while the fluid was pumped out and the lid over her was opened.

"Tenno Lis?" The voice of the head medic was cautious and Lis could understand.

"Chirurgeon." Lis kept herself still while white garbed forms reached in to undo various connections. "I am... whole. I think." She said with a sigh. "Did it work?" Instead of answering, one of the white garbed forms lifted her hand so she could see. Red skin shone on fingers where gold metal had been. Lis sighed. "I feel... ambivalent." She shook her head slowly. "No matter. I am needed. I serve."

"Take it easy for a bit." Chirurgeon said calmly as one of the nurses helped Lis sit up. "You will likely be a bit shaky."

"I will survive." Lis said with a nod. "Sara?" She asked.

"She has not woken." Chirurgeon bowed his head. "She may not. Her brain was starved of oxygen. Not for long." He hastened to say.

"But it can be difficult to judge the extent of such damage in humans until they wake. _If_ they do." Lis said with a nod. Chirurgeon looked at her and she frowned. "I studied to be a medic. Once. Long ago."

"You saved her life." The healer replied with a smile that faded. "Now? We can only do what we can do."

"Chirurgeon..." Lis said softly. "Is Michelle available? I need to talk to her."

"She is waiting outside." The medic sighed as Lis sat up. "Would it be too much to get you a _gown_ first?" He asked sourly as the other medics left the room.

"She needs to hear this now and so do you." Lis said with a scowl. Chirurgeon stared at her and then nodded. He hit a control and a door hissed open, two human shapes entering. One was Michelle, Princess of Orokin. She did not look at ease in her gown. The other was Michelle's guard, Petra. "Princess..." Lis said without preamble since Michelle put little stock in formality. "Sara was attacked."

"Not by you." Petra said firmly and Lis nodded. It wasn't a shock to anyone. Good.

"While I slept in the pod, I spoke to Nyx." Lis said with a gulp that the others shared. Nyx was... not entirely stable at the moment and no one blamed her in the slightest. It wasn't every day a Tenno got a chance to exact revenge on one who had hurt so many people so badly. "She said it wasn't me, but she either did not know who did it or could not say. Either way... the Balance must be maintained, so they will withdraw a bit. We will not be able to speak to them for a while."

"Probably for the best." Michelle said with a nod. "We have our own problems. Involving the First in some of the situations we have faced recently was needed, but... not always the best choice."

"Like using a _particle beam_ to cut _butter_." Lis agreed. "It _works_, but _oh_ the _collateral damage_." Everyone winced at that. "Sara is stable?" She asked Chirurgeon who nodded. "The feeling was familiar, a mental attack. But... not anyone I knew. She was snared by a mental attack. Thinking about it... it shifted to one directed specifically at _her_ as I watched. I drove it away, and must have unconsciously moved to protect her from whoever was trying to kill her."

"Who would attack _Sara_?" Chirurgeon demanded. "Serene would eat them for _breakfast_!"

"And go away hungry." Petra actually shuddered, but then again... The former Banshee was _not_ a foe to take lightly even now. "We will investigate." She promised.

"Princess... Guard Commander..." Lis said slowly, her eyes downcast. "It was a Tenno attack."

"_What?_" The exclamation came from three throats. Michelle recovered first.

"Explain." The Princess sad sternly. Space itself might have warped under her gaze. Lis met her eyes calmly.

"After Nicholas left... I was a renegade." Lis said softly. "Nicholas sent me out with orders to find potential recruits or resources we could use. I did find resources, but I never found any recruits for him." She did not react as Petra scoffed.

"How hard did you _look_?" The Mag Prime asked snidely. Michelle just shook her head and Petra nodded. "Never mind."

"Not very." Lis said sadly. "I was lost. But I would not take others down my road to damnation. He figured it out after a while, pulled me in to where he could keep a closer eye on me. Kept me occupied with missions and such." She bowed her head. "I should have seen his madness, but I was so busy keeping my head down."

"Survival is kind of important." Michelle said calmly. There was no censure in her voice. "But... what makes you think a _Tenno_ attacked Sara?"

"On one of my missions, I was discovered by a Tenno. She wore a Nyx warframe." Lis said quietly. "I never learned her name, but she hunted me. I fled. She followed. She haunted my dreams and meditations for days until I evaded her. My nightmares were coils of gray mist that solidified into Karl screaming at me that I was a fool and a traitor." She bowed her head again. "I didn't realize it until I woke up just now, but it was the _exact same_ kind of mental attack as I sensed in Sara. She has been having nightmares. I didn't think anything of it." She slumped, tears threatening. "I should have."

"Sara is changing." Chirurgeon reassured her. "She is having difficulty as her body changes. We have managed to slow the changes, but not stop them." He slumped a bit. "We cannot stop them."

"She is part human and part Tenno." Michelle agreed. "She is growing up into her body. It is..." She grimaced and Lis nodded.

"Difficult." The red skinned Tenno agreed. "In the first nightmare, there was blood." Lis said quietly. "But not from her mouth. From... further down." Michelle and Petra both stiffened but Chirurgeon just sighed. "She is menstruating, isn't she?"

"She wanted it kept quiet." The medic said quietly. "She and Serene both. She said and I quote 'I have caused enough trouble'. Serene was handling it. It has only been once, and they would have told you the next time."

"Well, I am glad it wasn't a hemorrhage like I feared." Lis said with a sigh of her own. "But Chirurgeon... she is only three!" Worry and fear warred for prominence in her tone as Michelle and Petra both remained silent.

"Physically, she is fourteen." The medic sounded upset, and who could blame him? "Those Corpus butchers made her body to grow and then wear out quickly. So they could harvest her brain no doubt. Make copies of her." He shook his head. "But yes, emotionally, spiritually? She is less than three. She is handling it very, very well."

"No argument." Lis said softly. "Can I stay with her?"

"I think she would like that." Chirurgeon said with a nod to Michelle who nodded back. "If she was attacked once though, she may be again. We must ward her." Petra nodded.

"I certainly hope they _try._" Lis said with a snarl. "I learned a bit about defending my mind after my own... incident. I am no Nyx, but I would _love_ to hurt anyone who thinks to harm Sara. Mentally or otherwise."

"Try not to make a mess." Michelle said with a wince. Lis looked at her and Michelle grimaced. "Saryn warframes are not precision instruments, Lis." Michelle had worn one.

"I will not assume a warframe yet." Lis said with a shrug. "I need time to center myself. Time to come to grips with who and what I am. I feel... ambivalent still. Not worthy." Michelle cast a long look at her and Lis sighed. "Please?"

"We need every Tenno, Lis." Michelle said softly. She shook her head. "But..." She stepped close and laid a gentle hand on Lis' shoulder. "Take what time you need." She gave Lis' shoulder a squeeze and retreated. Petra stepped forward.

"The only one with doubts here is _you_, sister." Petra said, taking Lis' hands in her own. "But we will give you time."

"Thank you." Lis said as both Michelle and Petra turned and left the room. "Sara?" She asked Chirurgeon who sighed dramatically.

"_Gown._" The medic said with a mock snarl as he opened a drawer and tossed a package at her. "I do _not_ want you scandalizing my staff, Tenno Lis."

"It's not like they haven't seen me in the buff, Chirurgeon." Lis said with a small smirk as she put the gown on. Then she paused. "But... Thanks." The medic paused his obviously humorous reply and looked at her. "I... don't think I deserve this, but I will not fail Sara."

"There are those here on Avalon who think you should have been executed." Chirurgeon said with a sigh. "I am not one of them. No one on my staff who has seen you with Sara or Mishka believes that. The ones who do, do not know you. Or the situation you were in. They only know the reports. Most of which were edited." Lis smiled a bit forlornly as she smoothed the gown. It did not cover her much.

"I understand." Lis nodded."And I will not-" whatever else she was going to say was cut off by a shriek from nearby. Lis paled and ran, Chirugeon at her heels. "Sara!" Sara was sitting up in her bed, her eyes wild as she stared around. She froze as Lis entered the room, Chirurgeon at the heels. "Sara?" Lis asked softly, worried. Sara's eyes went huge as she saw the female Tenno. "What is wrong?"

"Lis?" Sara asked, her voice tiny. "Is that you?"

"Yeah." Lis said with a shrug, relaxing a little. "I know I look different." She smiled. "I can stick some golden hoops on my head if you want." Sara stared at her and then the girl was laughing. But she was crying at the same time. Lis slid into a chair that was sitting by Sara's bed and held the girl tight as Sara cried. "Sara... oh Sara... Another nightmare?"

"These are not nightmares, Lis." Sara said as she cried into the Tenno's shoulder. "I... I saw Mom... She died... I..."

"_Enough._" Lis said sharply, her hand coming down to cup the back of Sara's skull. "Get _out_ of her _head_!" She commanded. Sara jerked as something happened and Lis snarled. "When I _find_ you, I _will_ hurt you, _whoever_ you are. Leave Sara _alone_!" She snapped and the presence, whatever it was, vanished.

"Lis?" Sara asked, dazed by all this. Chirurgeon scowled and moved to check the instrumentation nearby. "What? What is happening?"

"Someone attacked you, Sara." Lis said quietly. Sara jerked and Lis gave her a hug. "Someone trained as a Tenno. I will find them. And when I _do_?" She smiled nastily. "I am _going_ to beat them to within an inch of their life and let them explain to _Serene_ why."

"Why attack _me_?" Sara begged as Lis held her carefully. "I have been trying to be good."

"Sara, you _have_ been good." Lis said, easing the terrified girl with soft caresses that works their magic quickly. Sara relaxed. "Someone _else_ has been bad and I _will_ find out who."

"I don't deserve you, Lis." Sara said, hugging the Tenno warrior tight.

"Deserve has nothing to do with it, Sara." Lis said gently as she soothed the girl's pain away. "Nothing at all. We protect those we love. Someone has hurt you."

"I think it is time I find and hurt _them_."


	3. Chapter 3

**Comfort**

"How is she?"

Lis looked up to see Mishka staring at Sara from the door. Sara lay in Lis' lap where she had crawled in her sleep. Sara did that a lot. It had bothered Lis the first couple of times. Now? It was just one more thing about Sara.

"A mess." Lis said softly. "Mishka, has anyone made any comments recently that made you worried?" Mishka stared at Lis and Lis sighed. "Someone attacked Sara."

"Who would _dare_?" Mishka sounded scared now and Lis could relate.

Serene angry was a terrifying sight. Even before her prosthetic legs had be connected and matched to her, she had been a terror. She had flatly refused every attempt to get her to disarm. Even the _Empress_ had stepped carefully around Serene. The female Tenno had never been rude, or even slightly disrespectful, but she had also been _adamant_. Sara's protection took priority to Serene. Period. After what Sara had gone through? Lis understood. She had hidden weapons for Serene more than once even when she had been forbidden to handle them herself. For _Sara_? Lis would have done far more than risk her life and freedom.

"I don't know, Mishka." Lis said sadly. "What is worse? It was a Tenno." Mishka went totally still and Lis nodded. "Yeah."

That had happened before. It... hadn't ended well. For lots of people. For all her kindness and gentleness with her kids, Serene had been _scariness_ made in humanoid form for a long, long time. Darkness walking in a Banshee warframe. Scuttlebutt said she scared _Stalker_ and Lis could believe it.

"No." Mishka's face was horrified now. "Not again. No..." She stepped close, her hand coming down to stroke her adopted sister's cheek. "Oh Sara." The pain and fear in her voice were enough that Lis held out her free hand and Mishka snuggled close. For all her strength, the girl was only twelve. Sara muttered something in her sleep and Mishka froze, but relaxed as Sara went back to slumber. "Times like this, I wish I was a warrior." Mishka said fiercely.

"No, you don't." Lis said, giving Mishka a squeeze. "You are angry. You have cause. We all do. But you do not want this life, Mishka. You have a better future ahead of you. Please... Don't let anger cloud you. It will if you let it." Mishka stared up at Lis and then she was crying softly. "Oh Mishka... Don't cry. It will be okay. Sara is okay."

"I'm okay, Mishka." Sara said sleepily, pulling her older sister close. "Lis saved me." Mishka and Lis both remained still and Sara sank back into slumber.

"This time I did." Lis said softly. "They will put guards around Sara now. And you." She said as Mishka inhaled a little. "You may be in danger as well. I may or may not be one of those guards."

"_Why?_" Mishka begged. "Sara hasn't hurt anyone. She never _did_." Sara made a sleepy noise of protest and Mishka slumped a bit. Lis sighed and eased the girl back into the bed. Sara made a sound of worry, but a gentle pat had her relaxing into sleep again. "She is my sister." Mishka said as she planted a soft kiss on Sara's cheek.

The door hissed an Serene looked in, her face worried. Lis nodded to the sleeping girl and Serene relaxed a little. Serene jerked her head and Lis nodded. She led Mishka from the room and Serene scowled as the door shut.

"Anything?" Serene asked quietly.

"No." Lis replied with a scowl of her own. "Maybe I scared whoever it was off. But I doubt it."

"I will sit with her." Serene's tone brooked no argument. Lis smiled a bit forlornly. She understood completely.

"I will have a meal sent." Lis promised. "Mishka here needs to get to class." Mishka made a noise of protest, but she subsided as both of the older Tenno glanced at her. "Mishka." Lis said quietly. "You cannot change your life because someone else is being a jerk. People who use such tactics want you to change to suit their wishes. Don't." She said sternly.

"I will worry." Mishka said sadly. "She is my sister." Lis gave her a squeeze that Serene matched. Then a uniformed human stepped up and nodded to both Tenno.

"Ladies." The Orokin Marine said calmly. "PFC Fran Gutierrez at your service." Mishka stared at the Marine and gulped. The female Marine nodded. "No one will harm you without going through me, young lady."

"This is really serious." Mishka said weakly.

"Someone tried to kill your sister." The Marine said with a small frown. "Oh yeah, it is serious." She held out a hand that Mishka took in a trembling grip. "Come on, we will have to move fast to make your class. But I have authorization to use the drop chutes."

"_Really_?" Mishka asked, her eyes going wide. But then she and the Marine were gone. Serene and Lis shared a humorous look. Drop chutes were an adrenaline junkie's dream. An elevator shaft minus the _elevator_. Perfectly safe with grav fields and all, _but_...

"She is going to be a bundle of energy when she gets home." Lis said quietly. Serene nodded, silent. "No change. The sedative helped, but she was crying for a bit. No further incursions. If they do come, it felt like a standard attack. You know the counter."

"No identifiers?" Serene asked, her voice cold and clinical. Lis shook her head. "Pity."

"They had to be within a hundred meters for the preliminary attack." Lis said with a sigh. "But she has been all over. No way to tell when it happened."

"Lis, would you mind undergoing an interrogation?" Serene said after a moment's thought. Lis stiffened but shook her head. "There is no obligation here. You saved her life already."

"If we do not find who did this, they _will_ try again." Lis said with a snarl. "I may not be able to stop them next time. When?"

"As soon as Sun can get here." Serene said with a nod. Lis went still and Serene laid a hand on her arm. "He won't hurt you. You know this."

"I do." Lis said with a sigh. "Just... scared. Not so much for me. For Sara. She is _such_ a good kid."

"Lis..." Serene's voice was super soft now. "You know..." She trailed off as Lis snarled.

"Yes, Serene." Lis snapped. "I _know_ Sara won't live more than another ten years at absolute most. That the genetic damage is too much. I don't _care!_ That doesn't _change_ the fact that she is a good kid!"

"No." Serene said sadly. "No it doesn't. Lis..." She hugged the red skinned Tenno tight. "Thank you. You have been a rock of stability in my upheavals. You have been here for Sara, for Rocky, for Mishka, for me... We will find who did this to Sara. We will." Lis nodded and Serene released her. "Now you need rest. Real rest."

"Serene..." Lis started to protest and then cut herself off. "Right. I am not hooked up to diagnostics anymore. And I _am_ stressed." She shook her head. "I need to adjust to this. Center myself."

"I want to say this now, Lis." Serene said softly as she retreated a little. When she spoke again, it was formal. "You are welcome in my home at any time, Tenno Lis." Lis stared at her and Serene smiled. "You are part of our family and Rocky would miss you." Her eyes were glistening suspiciously. "So would I."

"You have been good to me, Serene." Lis replied with equal formality. "Far better than I believe I deserved. You took a chance on a broken renegade and helped make her a better person. If anything, I owe you, Sara and Mishka. If I can help find whoever hurt Sara, I will. I only hope I _do_ find them so I can give them to _you_." She smirked. "Maybe not _intact_, mind you..." Serene matched her smirk.

"I _like_ you, Lis." Serene said with a nod. "Go get some rest. You are out on your feet." Then she entered the room. Lis did not miss two Tenno in warframes who stood nearby. She nodded to one and the Banshee returned the nod. Then Lis paused.

"I just realized..." Lis said slowly. "I stayed with Serene and her family. I have no idea..." She broke off as the Banshee nodded and a door opened nearby. Not very far from Serene's quarters at all. Lis went to the door and looked in. Inside was a tiny one bedroom apartment. Basically a bed, a table, a chair and nothing else. "Uh..."

"It was felt you would want to stay close." The Banshee said quietly. "Our salle and dojo are open to you as well. Your warframe awaits you."

"I can't." Li said sadly. "Not yet. But I thank you. I will meditate. Center myself, try to make sense of all of this. Please notify me when Sun arrives. I will await him."

"You don't have to do that, sister." The Banshee said softly, worried.

"I know." Lis said with a shrug. "But to keep Sara from harm? I would do _far_ more. If we can catch whoever it was before he or she strikes again..." She shook her head. "We might not be so lucky next time." As she entered the room, she heard the Banshee speak softly.

"Luck had nothing to do with it."

* * *

><p>Try as she might, Lis found it very difficult to relax. She knew that Sara was as well protected as the Empress, maybe even more so, since Eliza frankly turned down many of the most stringent security measures that Orokin rulers had assumed on occasion. That was one thing that Lis liked about the Empress. She took her chances. She was no shrinking violet, she was trained and very capable against any common threat. But it was usually <em>uncommon<em> threats that targeted the Empress of the feeble remnants of Orokin. Two Tenno on guard outside the door and Serene sitting with Sara made for a hell of a deterrent. But...

She sighed. This endless worrying was getting her nowhere. She forced herself to relax, one muscle at a time starting from the toes. By the time she reached her lower back, she was breathing evenly. Something... She jerked. She wasn't alone!

_I am not a threat to you or the ones you ward._ The voice felt...female. _I know you have been attacked. I cannot see who did it. They hide from me as well._

"Who...?" Lis paused. The voice was familiar. But... "Janet?" She asked, stunned. This wasn't virtual! She was still in her room. But she could feel the other's concern, for Sara. For Lis. This was Janet, the human Oracle, but... "Is that you?"

_More or less._ The other's voice was gentle, soft and comforting. _Sara is warded. __**You**__ need help. I am offering._

"I am okay." Lis stiffened, she hadn't intended to speak that sharply. Had she?

_No you are not._ The other's voice was sad, so sad now. _For so long, you put others first. Nicholas and his scum. Then Serene and her kids. You do not know what to do now, do you?_

"There are things I have to do." Lis said sadly. "People I have to talk to. Explain things to. I... I don't want to leave Sara."

_You cannot save her, Lis._ The voice of the human Oracle was even sadder now. _No one can._ _What will be, will be. She must save herself. You cannot do it for her._

"What?" Lis demanded. "Sara is okay for the moment. The genetic damage means she will grow old and die far too soon, but... What do you mean?" There was no response and Lis sighed. "Blasted Oracle."

_It isn't any fun, no._ Janet's voice was calm and soothing. Despite herself, Lis felt her remaining tension ebb and fade. _You are a good being Lis. A very good being. Even for a Tenno, you are a good soul._

"I... don't believe that." Lis said and then groaned in relief as her shoulders unknotted. Was someone massaging them? It felt like it. There wasn't anyone there. "I... Oh that's nice..."

_I cannot interfere, Lis._ Janet said quietly. _There are... rules. So many rules. But what I __**can**__ do, I will. Talk to the Lotus, Lis. _Lis tried to stiffen, but her body wouldn't respond. It was too relaxed. She hadn't ever talked to the Lotus. Before Nicholas had gone renegade, there had been no reason. After? It... hadn't seemed right. _Rest now, Lis. For now, that is all you can do. Sara is safe. You will need every bit of your skill, strength and energy for what will come. But you are up to the task. I believe in you, Lis._

Lis took those gentle words into slumber with her.

* * *

><p>Lis woke refreshed. She felt... good. Better than she had for some time. Had it been a dream? Talking to Janet? She hadn't heard anything about the human woman since Rasputin had been stopped. Janet was alive, Lis knew that. But she had no idea where Janet was or in what condition. She sighed. She had never been one to dissemble.<p>

_Lotus?_ Lis asked in her mind The response was immediate.

_Tenno Lis._ The voice of the Lotus was gentle and kind, but held a hint of apprehension. _This is... unexpected._

_I felt... unworthy to speak to you. _Lis said with a small sob. _I... betrayed..._ Something wafted across her mind and Lis trailed off.

_You were misled._ The Lotus replied, her tone super gentle now. _Anyone can be misled, Tenno Lis. It was not your fault. Why contact me now? The probabilities said you would wait another day at the very least._

_I think I talked to Janet. _Lis could not have missed the apprehension that flew from the other if she had been deaf and blind._ She didn't tell me anything. Just that I should talk to you._ She was not expecting the Lotus to make a rude noise. _Lotus?_ She asked.

_I cannot see her in the probabilities._ The Lotus said slowly. _She takes advantage of that. Sneaky human._

_Yes she is. _Lis could not restrain a smile that crept onto her face and truth be told? She didn't try hard. _But a good person._

_Agreed. _The Lotus replied. _Sara is coping well. She woke, ate and is sleeping again. There have been no further attacks._

_There will be. _Lis said firmly. _This was no act of rage. No spur of the moment decision. This was __**planned**__._

_Agreed. _The Lotus sounded calm, but underneath lay worry._ Sara is all that is holding Serene together. If someone attacks her, Serene __**will**__ respond in kind._

_Even when angry, she has excellent target control. _Lis said quietly. She had reason to know, after seeing Serene in a tantrum more than once. _But best to find out what happened and why quickly._

_Sun is enroute. _The Lotus said with a verbal wince. _You do not need to do that._

_Interrogations are not always brutal. _Lis said softly. _The Tower was gentle, but thorough. I... I love Sara, Lotus. I want to protect her._

_I understand. _The Lotus replied and that same feeling wafted across Lis. A soothing mental caress. _Will you take up a warframe again?_

_I don't know. _Lis replied honestly. _I feel... ambivalent about that. Every Tenno is needed, I understand that. And I __**could**__ serve. But... I do not feel worthy of it. And I fear my own inner conflict may be exacerbated by the neural binding. I have... qualms about my stability and questions about my own loyalty. To the Tenno, to the Empress... to myself._

_The only one who can answer those questions is __**you**__, Tenno Lis. _The Lotus replied with that same calm._ Sun may be able to help, but his methods are harsh._

_He will not force me to __**breed**__ as Nicholas wished. _Lis said, hate coloring her mental tone for a moment. _I apologize._ She said as the other mind retreated a bit. _I still... I am still angry._

_No one blames you for that. No one __**sane**__ anyway. _Was the Lotus _joking_? No, couldn't be. _I will be available for you to speak with anytime, Tenno Lis. If I may be of assistance, or if you just need someone to talk to who will not divulge your secrets, someone to listen, I will be here. For now? Be well, Tenno._

_Thank you, Lotus. _Lis said with a smile as the mental connection cut. She was rising to her feet when her door chimed. "Yes?" She called. The door opened and Serene stood with Rocky in one hand, a tray balanced in her other hand. Lis snorted and moved to take the tray. "Serene..." Lis complained in affectionate worry.

"I figured you wouldn't take time to eat." Serene said with a smile as she sat on the small bed to one side of the tiny room. "Wow, this is small." She said with a smile as Lis sat at the table and opened the platters on the tray. Savory smells came from them and Lis just sat for a moment, enjoying the smells. "You okay?"

"I don't know." Lis said as she took a bite of the soup and smiled. It tasted as good as it smelled. "Is this... Eliza's cooking?" Serene nodded and Lis paused. "She shouldn't have."

"She felt your first meal out of punishment should be memorable." Serene said with a grin as she bounced Rocky on her knee and he laughed as only a little kid could. "Is it?"

"Oh yes." Lis said as she ate quickly but carefully, savoring every bite. "Dang, she is good. This is as good as anything I remember." She shook her head. "Sun?"

"Setting up." Serene said quietly. "Last chance to back out." Lis just looked at the other Tenno over a slice of bread and Serene sighed. "Figured that would be your response."

"Don't let Sara or Mishka anywhere near." Lis said sternly.

"I won't." Serene said softly. "Lis..." She went still as the door opened and a white warframe stood silhouetted in it.

"I am ready." Lis said as she rose, barely noting the tray vanish. Her meal was a leaden lump in her stomach as she strode to where the Loki Prime stood silent. "Lead on, Sun."

To her surprise, he held out a hand to her. She took it with only the tiniest of trembles and followed as the Tenno Interrogator led her away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Truth**

This was..._not_ what she had expected.

Instead of a virtual world with a table and gleaming instruments of torture, Sun led her to a room with a couch. He gestured for her to sit and she did. He knelt by the door, a silent form in white. She sat gingerly, but no straps came up to hold her, no hypos injected her, no beams of energy held her down. _Nothing_ happened.

"Um... Sun?" Lis asked as she sat. "I thought you were going to interrogate me."

"I will." The Loki Prime replied evenly.

"Don't I need to be restrained for that?" Lis asked, concerned.

"You are not an enemy." Sun had no emotion in his voice at all. "Not anymore. I will not treat you as a renegade. You are not one."

"I..." Lis swallowed hard and then slowly laid herself out on the couch. "I am still stuck in the mindset it seems. I feel I should be punished more."

"For?" The quiet calm from the interrogator was unnerving to say the least.

"For following Nicholas." Lis said sadly. "For obeying orders I knew were wrong. For hurting so many people..." She slumped a bit. "I tried." Why was she crying? Sun hadn't _done_ anything! "I should have seen it. I should have. He was insane."

"How old were you when you took up your warframe, Lis?" Sun asked quietly.

"Fifteen." Lis replied, managing to staunch the flow of tears through sheer force of will. "I spent every waking minute studying after..." She trailed off and Sun prompted her.

"After what?" Sun asked.

"After I met Karl, I tried to kill him and he saved my life." Lis replied, trying for calm herself. She didn't -quite- manage it. She looked at Sun oddly. "Don't tell me you don't have the interrogation records from the Tower."

"This isn't a hostile interrogation." Sun replied evenly. "I am trying to help you order your memories. If needed, we can go deeper. But that _will_ hurt you. You are strong, to have survived everything that happened. But unless there is need, it would be a waste of my time and your pain."

"I will try not to waste your time." Lis said with a nod. "So... Where to start?"

"Why do you feel so strongly for Sara?" Sun asked quietly. "Your reactions indicate a connection that should have taken years to form."

"She reminds me of people I knew as a child." Lis replied with a nod. "Weak of body, strong of soul. She didn't deserve any of what happened to her. I wanted to help."

"You have." Sun replied. "These people? Have you discussed what happened to them with anyone?"

"Who would I have talked to?" Lis asked with only a trace of heat. "Nicholas' people were all about results. Cora might have listened, but she ran and they killed her. None of the others."

"Why didn't you flee?" Sun asked. "Karl would have protected you."

"I don't know." Lis admitted. "I wanted to. But... Nicholas talked to me and it... Running seemed... wrong." She shook her head. "Looking back, I know he manipulated me into staying. Into feeling loyalty for him. I didn't realize until much, much later that he had likely been planning it all along. Recruiting me just out of training while I was impressionable." She shook her head. "I was so stupid."

"No." Sun corrected her. "You were manipulated. Nicholas was a master manipulator. I know. I trained him." Lis jerked and Sun nodded. "His betrayal cut deep in many of us." He shook his head slowly. "You told Michelle that you 'sensed gray mist that solidified'?"

"Into fears." Lis agreed. "In the world that Sara and I shared, it solidified into Corpus medical machinery and doctors. Probably to terrify Sara into immobility." Sun did not move or speak and Lis continued. "Then she said she had seen her mother die. Probably another mist creation. When it happened to me, the mists solidified into Karl screaming at me that I was a traitor and murderer." She shook her head ."I know Karl. He wouldn't act like that. I knew that then, but it still terrified me."

"That does sound very much like a Nyx's mental attack." Sun mused. "You never knew the name of the sister who chased you?"

"Never got close enough to ask." Lis quipped weakly. "She chased me for _days_. I dropped molts every time I could and she just kept after me. I had thought it might have been Mistress Leanna, but I don't think so. She was dead by then." Sun nodded for her to continue and Lis sighed. "Mistress Leanna was my primary instructor. She taught me what it was to be Tenno. She wore a Banshee warframe instead of a Nyx though and... she didn't want me to join Nicholas' clan, but I went anyway. She would be so disappointed with me."

"On the contrary. She would be proud of you." Sun said calmly. Lis stiffened and he shook his head. "I knew her. We -the elder Tenno- knew all of each other." Lis' eyes went huge but then she nodded. The Tenno who had been first had all lived in the Citadel, had come out for specific reasons, usually dealing with outbreaks of the Technocyte Virus. Then the war and the Orokin making copies of Tenno. "She was a good teacher."

"She was _annoying_." Lis said sharper than she intended, but Sun did not react. "She was always spouting about water. About _being_ like water. About _thinking_ like water. It was..." She shook her head. "It worked, but geez, she was annoying." Lis sighed. "I can't see her being happy with how I turned out."

"I can." Sun replied quietly. Lis stared at him, dumb founded and Sun shook his head. "What was her primary tenet, Tenno Lis?" Lis jerked and was still for a long moment.

"'Follow your heart'." Lis said in a tiny voice. "I..." She was crying again. "I didn't... I killed so many people... He ordered me to and I did and... It was wrong but I did..."

"He used your weakness against you." Sun had no emotion in his voice. "You feel strongly. You want to belong. To feel good about yourself and help others to feel good about themselves." Lis jerked a nod and Sun sighed. "Calm yourself, Tenno Lis. Nicholas is gone. His horrors are done. We need to deal with now, not the past."

"I..." Lis took a deep breath and let half of it out slowly. Then she exhaled the rest and took another. "After... Mars... I was a mess. Nicholas sent me out to find recruits, but I didn't even _try_. He figured me out after the second time and sent me to find resources. That I did. I had found a deposit of gallium when I felt an attack. A mental attack. I hadn't seen her arrive, but then she was in front of me, skana drawn before I could move. I didn't wait for her to speak or strike. I fled."

"Why?" Sun asked, sounding honestly curious.

"Because I did not want to fight a sister." Lis said sadly. "Because I had too much blood on my hands already. I was stained. Soiled. I did not want her to kill me either. Both from a survival standpoint and for what it would do to _her._" At that, Sun actually jerked a little. Lis barely noticed. "Killing kin is... bad. It does... bad things to you."

"You have." Sun said quietly.

"I have." Lis agreed, tears falling unmarked. "I didn't want to! You know... during the war... Zanas and Joel." Sun nodded. "It was... awful. The worst thing I have ever done. They had gone mad. But..." Sun sighed.

"You had no choice." Sun said quietly. "They were talking about joining the Sentients. Betraying all of us to the Enemy."

"It was just _talk!_" Lis protested. "They were angry. So was _I!_ But... Then the Zanas went berserk and we had to stop him and...Then Joel. Killing them broke something inside of me." She shook her head. "I did _not_ want to do that to the one chasing me, Sun. I didn't want to kill her, and didn't want her to kill _me_. Was that wrong of me?"

"I cannot answer that, Tenno Lis." Sun replied softly. "Only you can."

"Killing kin is wrong." Lis said firmly. "Even a renegade. I don't know how Karl stood it. If he did. How he stayed sane." She shook her head. "The mental attack was clear. It was intended to weaken my resolve. Fuddle my thoughts. Get me to weaken, maybe surrender. I considered it." Sun tilted his head and Lis sighed. "Cora had been slain, but the others he sent after her didn't come back. Yes, I considered it. Which is probably why he had a cryo pod set up for me when I returned to the dojo after giving that Nyx the slip finally. He knew I was going to flee and couldn't lose his last chance for breeding more Tenno." Hate sang in her voice now. Sun did not speak and Lis forced herself to calm. "This is not about me, this is about Sara."

"Maybe both." Sun replied and Lis jerked. "Tenno Lis, what would have happened if Sara had died? If you had woken with her _dead?_"

"With my hands around her throat?" Lis asked, horrified. "Oh my god... Serene would have killed me -which would have torn her, Mishka and probably Rocky too apart-, or the Royal Guard would have killed me for violating my parole or I would have killed _myself_." She was shaking her head now. "Oh my god..." She repeated, but then her gaze hardened. "We need to find whoever did this. Now."

"Agreed." Sun said with a nod. "Think back. The first attack. The mental coils. Did you sense anything odd? Anything different?" Lis took a deep breath and focused herself. "That's it." Sun encouraged her. "Calm and clear. Think of the coils. Not what they are doing. Not to who. Just the coils."

"Gray mist." Lis was floating now. It felt... oddly relaxing. "Familiar, but... not." Pain erupted in her head and she fought back a groan. "I can.. almost..."

"Stop." Sun's quiet word cut through Lis's meditation like a knife and she was gasping in pain as she found herself back on the couch.

"What the hell?" Lis demanded. She was sweating and her head was pounding. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"That wasn't you." Sun said with a nod. "That was a block."

"A block?" Lis said and then snarled softly. "Can you break it?"

"I can." Sun replied calmly. "Should I? It will hurt you."

"Do it." Lis snapped and closed her eyes. She felt something change and suddenly, she couldn't move. She did not try, did not open her eyes. A short, stabbing pain erupted inside her mind and she could not restrain a tiny whimper as the pain came and went. Then... "I...remember..."

A voice had spoken to her in that dream. A voice she didn't know. Female.

_'You will purge the unclean from our midst. You will be our instrument.'_

_'No!' Lis heard herself scream. 'She is a child!'_

_'It is a monster!' The other voice snapped. 'You will kill it! Then yourself to expunge the shame you bring to this sacred place.'_

_'No! I... will...not!' _Lis heard herself cry out and then she was back on the couch, shaking as Sun retreated a step.

"I... Female. Old. Powerful. No one I know..." She swallowed hard. "Tenno. Definitely. But... It called Sara '_unclean'_?" She asked, scared.

"There have been many factions within the Tenno who have felt that the purity of the race must be maintained." Sun said with a shrug. "Usually just vocal minorities. But Sara was hurt by people who believed she was a Corpus spy. Why _wouldn't_ they hurt her if they believe she was some kind of evil menace?"

"_Diluting_ our _purity_?" Lis asked, scared. "If _Serene_ hears _this_..."

"Things are going to _explode_." Sun agreed, worry sounding deep in his voice now. For _him_ to be worried. This was bad. "Sara is a good kid. She actually asked me to do the same for her as I am doing for you." Lis went still, but Sun chuckled darkly. "No. I didn't even consider it. I have limits."

"Good." Lis said, forcing her racing heart to slow. "So... did you get anything? She felt... old. Like I said. Not someone I have met, but I haven't met every Tenno here."

"Me neither." Sun said with a frown in his voice. "I felt power. Age and power. But... cunning." He mused. "Not a lot of _intelligence_, if she is threatening Sara, but cunning."

"Agreed." Lis said with a sigh. "So... Hmm..." She shook her head. "You know? I haven't talked to anyone about what happened to me." Sun looked at her and she smiled a bit thinly. "Maybe I _should_?"

"Sister Lis..." This was new. Sun had always called her 'Tenno', not 'Sister'. "You are not trained for this."

"Maybe not." Lis said with a sigh. "But I do need to figure this out and maybe I can work my way through my own quandaries in the process? And maybe not being trained would be an asset. I don't think I could lie to kin. So I won't. I seek understanding of what and who I am now. And I seek answers for what happened to Sara."

"Sister..." Sun said quietly. "If that being took control once, she can do it again."

"Which is why I will be under full time surveillance." Lis said reasonably. "I will ask the Royal Guard and the Lotus to keep a close watch on me. And if I act off? They can disable me without killing me."

"Probably." Sun said, his tone worried. "We can't tell Serene."

"We also can't _keep_ this from her." Lis said sharply. "If she finds out we didn't tell her..." Sun shook his head and Lis continued. "All we have is a voice in my memory. For all I know it could be a delusion of _mine_."

"It isn't." Sun said quietly.

"Okay, I can accept that from _you_. This is your area of expertise. We have to tell Serene." Lis had a quiet that matched his now. "We have to. I will do it." Sun looked at her and Lis shook her head. "She is already stressed. If it comes from _you_, it will stress her more than if it comes from _me_."

"I... can see that." Sun said, manifestly against his will. "But I have to say this, Sister Lis. You are not a renegade any longer. You erred, but you faced your punishment with honor and courage. You served your time and now it is time for you to rejoin us all."

"I don't feel worthy." Lis said quietly. "But... I need to talk to someone about that. It is not rational. I know that. I need to get past it." Sun nodded slowly and Lis smiled. "I thank you for your assistance, Interrogator."

"Helping kin is rare for me." Sun said with another nod. "But it does help offset the rest of what I do. I must not become what I fight."

"Funny..." Lis said sadly. "I told Nyx the same thing." Sun looked at her and Lis grimaced. "No one _blames_ her for being a bit irrational about that scum Rasputin. I don't want to lose her. Her as she is. All through my punishment, I kept telling myself... 'What would Nyx do?' 'What is right for me to do now, this moment?' 'What is the _ethical_ choice here?' It... helped." Lis finished softly. "We can't lose her."

"Sister Lis." Sun said quietly. "With all due respect to the First Nyx. _She_ is gone. _You_ are not." Lis nodded.

"I know." She sighed and relaxed. She paused and thought hard. "It just... I..." Sun did not speak, let her work through her thoughts. "The voice... felt... _wrong_." She finally said.

"Wrong?" Sun queried. "Wrong how?"

"I don't know." Lis admitted. "It just didn't feel right. Like... it wasn't..." She paused and then went still. "Like it wasn't a voice I knew, but it _should_ have been." She shook her head. "No one I know would _dare_ hurt Sara. They _all_ know Serene! Most of them know _Sara_. My feelings for that scamp are not unique."

"Hardly." Sun said with a snort. Lis stared at him and he chuckled darkly again. "I have met her too. Do you think I am totally without feelings, Sister?"

"No." Lis said with a smile. "But you control them better than anyone else I have ever met. Which... considering your line of work, is a necessity. You do good work... Interrogator Sun." She sat up slowly, aware of her limbs shaking. "Thank you."

"Breaking the block hurt you." Sun said with a sigh. "I recommend food and rest. Then talk to one of the Royal Guard counselors. There are two. Lilly and Guiscard."

"I think I met Guiscard once." Lis said slowly. "He didn't care for me." She shook her head. "I don't blame him."

"You are going to face people who insist on bringing up the past." Sun said as he rose and helped her to stand. She needed the help. Her legs were wobbly. "Tenno came from humans. We share the same emotional baggage at times. We may be better at organizing it or processing it, but we _do_ share it."

"Yeah." Lis smiled gratefully at the Loki Prime and then straightened. "No time like the present. Will you be... around?"

"Eliza has asked my assistance to get to the bottom of this." Sun agreed. "I will be lurking." Lis burst out laughing and Sun just shook his head. "It is perfectly acceptable adjective."

"Why do I get the feeling you _enjoy_ it?" Lis asked as she tried to smother her laughter. "You are _evil_."

"Sometimes." Sun replied but then his posture straightened. "What happened in here..." He paused as Lis nodded and straightened herself.

"...stays in here." Lis agreed. "Your reputation as a cold hearted stone who does anything to get the job done is safe with me, Interrogator. I bet Serene would be upset with me if I started spreading rumors you went _soft_. Let alone what _you_ would do. I swear on my honor as Tenno not to speak of this." She said formally and Sun nodded. Then Lis sighed deeply and dramatically.

"Now? I need to talk to a counselor and won't _that_ be fun...?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Memory**

"Tenno Lis?"

The voice was soft and gentle, but despite herself, Lis couldn't help but jump a little. Just being in the dojo was hard. She had talked to Serena and that had been hard, but Serene understood. She was pissed, but she understood. Coming here?

The Royal Guard were professionals but even professionals had off moments. Seeing a former renegade wandering around in the middle of their dojo would have likely strained the control of several of them. So, Lis hadn't. She had asked for an escort to the counselor's office. Such as it was. Lis knelt on the edge of an aquatic Zen garden. The gentle motion of the water and gliding of the fish within aided her in easing her thoughts. A good thing. She looked up to see a Nova Warframe standing nearby. From the marks on it, she had just been in the field.

"If this is a bad time, Guardswoman Lilly..." Lis began, only to pause as the Nova waved her worry away.

"Not a bad time." Lilly replied quietly. "For _me_. _You_ look like you have the Solar System on your shoulders."

"Not the whole thing." Lis quipped a little. "Just a planet or two." She smoothed her robe and then forced her hands to remain still. The other Tenno looked at her and shook her head.

"I had hoped to talk to you." Lilly said with a nod. "What you went through was awful."

"Not as bad as some." Lis said with a wince. "I... They clapped me in stasis after my last mission and I woke up to this..." She waved her hands to indicate the current time. "I saw what they wanted and freaked."

"Just about any sane female _would_." Lilly said with a dark snort. "Hold on a sec..." She moved to one wall and Lis remained still as the Nova warframe went still and a lithe form slid out of it. The other Tenno pulled a set of robes from a hidden locker to put on over her bodysuit. "Just back from a training exercise. This will set you at ease. Do you want to sit?" She indicated the small platform in the middle of the room that held a tiny artificial island with benches.

"I don't know." Lis said sadly. "I have never done this."

"_Never_?" Lilly asked, concerned. "Not even with... the others?" She corrected herself before speaking the name of the leader of the renegades. Hate for him still ran deep in many people, Lis included.

"Only the medic Cora was a social sort." Lis said quietly. "None of the others. I...wasn't quite right for them, I think. I never really fit in. Cora and Karl tried to help. Made me welcome. The others never did. And then Karl left. Then Cora...died." Lis shook her head. "I never really fit. I thought it was because I wasn't true Tenno. Now? I just don't know."

"_True_ Tenno?" Lilly asked as she walked to the center of the room and sat on one bench, beckoning Lis to another. Lis followed slowly and sat, carefully and stiffly. Lilly sighed and shook her head. "Sister Lis, relax. From what I have seen, you are more Tenno than many I have dealt with away from here. Most of my contemporaries would not have put up with _half_ of the crap that the civilians here have dropped on you. Let alone some of _us_." Shame sounded in her voice now. "I give apology, Sister. We can be just as prejudiced as any."

"I know." Lis said quietly. "But...I don't think you are wrong to do so." She went still as Lilly sighed deeply. "Ah...?"

"The Royal Guard are not perfect, Sister Lis." Lilly said quietly. "_Far_ from it. We make mistakes just like any do. But when _we_ make mistakes... it tends to be... bad." The older Tenno shook her head. "You paid for your crimes. You did your punishment with honor. Now? You need to move on. You cannot live in the past. We need you."

"So everyone says." Lis said weakly. "But I can't see _why_. Even if I am a free Tenno now, I... I still bear the stigma of being one of Nicholas' renegades. One of his murderers." She said almost inaudibly.

"Sister." Lilly's voice was super gentle now. "Tenno _are_ murderers. We _are_ weapons. It is what we _are_. What we _do_. What we are _bred_ and _trained_ for. Although... You came to us late, did you not?" Lis nodded and Lilly sighed. "Sister. I would like to know how you joined us. I feel I do not know you. And that is wrong. You are my sister."

"It is not a very interesting story." Lis said, trying to muster the courage to tell the counselor 'no' without actually saying that.

"From what little Karl has said..." Lilly scoffed. "I bet it _is_. Did you _really_ trap him under a _ton_ of debris?" Her tone held humor mixed with awe.

"I..." Lis sighed and smiled a bit sadly. "Yes. Well... I don't know exactly how much it massed. But it was a lot of metal." She slumped a bit. "I don't remember it all. The cryo took its toll."

"I _would_ like to hear your side of the story." Lilly said gently. "If you don't mind."

"Ah well..." Lis shrugged. "Nothing else on my schedule today. You?"

"My schedule is clear for the rest of the day." Lilly said as she leaned back a little. "So... You were a colonist?"

"I don't know." Lis said softly. "I don't remember my parents. I remember the ducts where I lived. Where I ran and hid every time the odd beings came close." Lilly's eyes went wide and Lis nodded. "Sentients. Yes. There were...several of us at first. But the others either ran afoul of traps, or were caught by patrols. Some just vanished and I have no idea what happened to them. Others..." She swallowed hard. "I wish I didn't know what happened to them."

"How long?" Lilly pressed gently.

"In the tunnels?" Lis asked and Lilly nodded. "I don't know. Time got fuzzy. But eventually, I couldn't fit in the smallest ones anymore. I knew I would get caught outside of my sanctuaries sooner or later. So I set traps, weakened supports, that kind of thing. I couldn't fight directly, but I could be sneaky."

"How long were you alone, Lis?" Lilly sounded as if she was on the verge of upset.

"I don't know." Lis replied calmly. "Like I said, time got fuzzy. I couldn't keep any chronometers near myself, the Sentients detected anything powered and hunted it down swiftly." Lilly nodded, but did not speak. "Probably only a couple of weeks after Jennifer vanished. She was the last one left with me. But then, she was gone one day when I woke up. I... wish I hadn't ever seen what happened to her." Lis said sadly. "Or remember it."

"Strong memories seem to withstand the cryo-nesia better. Maybe the chemical markers that start our memories are sharper?" Lilly said quietly. "Or so we have surmised." She shrugged. "Karl?"

"I had no idea what Tenno were." Lis said with a smile of memory. "Just that there were monsters all over the place where I was living. One day, I was foraging for food when I heard loud noises. Different noises. I was curious, but not totally stupid. I had an escape plan." She shook her head. "Didn't work quite as I had planned."

"Does anything _ever_ work exactly as planned?" Lilly asked with a wicked grin and Lis smiled.

"Not in my experience." Lis agreed. "Anyway... I peered over pile of debris and there was a huge white form battling a horde of the monsters I knew. I was fascinated. I had never seen anything like that white armored form. He had a huge sword and he swung it as if it were made of paper."

"Karl." Lilly said with a nod that Lis matched.

"Karl." Lis said with sigh. "Not that I knew him at the time. I just watched while he tore them apart. But then he turned and looked right at me. Not near me, _at_ me." She shrugged. "What was I _supposed_ to do? I ran."

"I would have too." Lilly said with a shrug of her own. "Not knowing if he was an enemy or not? Oh _yeah_, I would have run. So... he followed?"

"I'll say." Lis said with a snort. "I couldn't _lose_ him. Every time I doubled back, tried to evade him, he was right behind me. So, I led him to one of my deadfalls. He stopped and I dropped a mountain of junk on him." Lilly started to laugh and Lis smiled a bit forlornly. "I think I ticked him off."

"Ya _think?_" Lilly was laughing nonstop now, but she stopped as Lis' expression registered. Desolation. "Lis?" She asked, concerned.

"I made so much noise..." Lis said softly. "The remaining monsters converged on the area. I couldn't get away. I was snared by a net, blacked out and woke strapped to a table. Jennifer was there... but... it wasn't _her_ anymore."

"Oh no..." Lilly said softly, her eyes wide. "No..."

"She was a thrall." Lis said sadly. "I screamed at her to run, to help me, to do anything. She ignored me. She was bringing a black mask towards me that hissed when the wall fell in. Karl. He had gotten free and tracked me." Lis said sadly. "He did what he does. He saved me. He killed all of them. Jennifer never even flinched from his blade, just kept reaching towards me with that black mask. I... didn't handle it well. What he did. But he was very gentle with me until I calmed down."

"I understand." Lilly was quiet and sad. "What we do is not pretty, nice or polite. It is needed. But..."

"Wrong." Lis agreed. "A necessary evil. But an _evil_."

"True." Lilly said softly. "So... what then?"

"He tried to drop me at a survival shelter." Lis said with a fond smile. "I wasn't cooperative. I kept screaming and crying every time he tried to leave. Every time he left, I ran off after him. Tried to sneak onto his ship. That never worked, but I kept trying. Finally, he left me with an old woman who sat down and _sat_ on me. Literally. Her name was Leanna. It took several months, but I eventually called her 'Mistress'."

"Leanna...?" Lilly said, her tone awed. "Grand _Master_ Leanna? The _Banshee_?"

"You _knew_ her?" Lis asked, unnerved by this reaction.

"I did. She trained _me_." Lilly said, eyeing Lis in a new light. "You studied under her?"

"It...wasn't anything special." Lis said slowly. "She taught a bunch of people. Some human, some Tenno."

"Lis..." Lilly sounded somewhere between humor and awe now. "She was _the most_ demanding of any of the instructors I have _ever_ had. If you passed _her_ tutelage..."

"I dunno if I passed." Lis said with a scowl. "She threw me out after two years. Told me to get lost and never come back." Lilly went totally still at that. Lis looked at her, confused.

"Lis." Lilly was shaking her head in dumbfounded amazement mixed with amusement. "A normal teaching cycle for Grand Master Leanna was _ten_ years. And she would _not_ have let you out without teaching you _everything_ she could. She would _not_. It wasn't _in_ her to do that. She refused _far_ more students than she took. But once she _took_ one? That student passed if it _killed_ them. One poor student took _thirty_ years to take the Trials. But he _passed_."

"She was an annoying, foul mouthed old _witch!_" Lis said sharply. She was not expecting Lilly to _laugh_. "What?"

"Yes, she _was_. But... Lis..." Lilly was grinning now. "You have met Nikis." Lis nodded. Lilly shook her head. "Leanna was one of his best protégés. She taught Tenno. It was what she _did_. For _centuries_. If she threw you out, then you had learned _everything_ she could teach you. And in only _two_ years..." She shook her head, awed. "I stayed with her for _eleven_." Lilly sounded shaken now. "I feel... kind of envious."

"Don't." Lis begged and Lilly relaxed. "I assume... she did not survive the Collapse?"

"No." Lilly said sadly. "She resides in the database now. Keeps the shades of our kin on their toes."

"I bet." Lis said, thinking. "All this time I thought I had failed her."

"If you hadn't met or _exceeded_ her expectations, she never would have let you face the Trials." Lilly said with a firm shake of her head. "She wouldn't have. She was very set in her ways. But a good teacher."

''Set in her ways'?" Lis asked, incredulous. "One way to put it, I guess. Can't tell you how many times I dreamed of throttling her in her sleep." Lis froze and then her face fell. "I..."

"Lis." Lilly said gently. "It's okay. You didn't hurt Sara. You saved her life." She shook her head "And you were hardly the _only_ person to dream of _throttling_ Grand Master Leanna. _I_ sure did." Lis had to smile at the other's dry tone. "So... You faced the Trials."

"And passed." Lis said with a wince. "It was...not what I expected."

"No." Lilly agreed. "It wouldn't be. It is different for every Tenno. But you _did_ pass. That does make you a sister. And one I have something in common with." Lis looked at her and Lilly chuckled. "We can share stories of how much we _hated_ Grand Master Leanna." Lis snerked at that and Lilly grinned. But then it faded. "That wasn't why you came to me though."

"No." Lis said softly. "I talked to Sun." Lilly went totally still and Lis nodded. "He... it wasn't what I expected. He helped me get past a memory block."

"A block?" Lilly asked, concerned. "Who would...?" She trailed off as Lis bowed her head. The dots connected audibly. "No... Oh my god _no_..." Horror sounded.

"Someone... tried to get me to kill Sara." Lis said in a tiny voice. "I think... a Tenno. I...resisted."

"_Anyone_ who can survive Grand Master Leanna's training and finish it in only _two_ years had _better_ be able to resist such." Lilly said firmly. "Or she _would_ hop right out of the database and make you do sit-ups in a _stream_." Lis winced and nodded. "What... what did you discover?"

"The voice was...wrong." Lis said softly. "It sounded like an old woman, but now? I am certain it wasn't one. Whoever it was demanded I kill Sara. Called her an 'it'." She could barely keep the anger from her voice now. Lilly nodded, her own face set.

"What else did it say?" Lilly's voice was suddenly cold and hard. But... not directed at Lis.

"It said I would purge the unclean from our midst." Lilly actually recoiled from Lis' soft words and Lis nodded. "Then it called Sara a 'monster' and said I would kill myself after to 'expunge the shame I brought to this sacred place'."

"Who the hell would _dare?_" Lilly actually sounded afraid now. "To... to control _you_... to kill _Sara_...? I..."

"People have said I bring shame here." Lis said quietly. "I have heard them. But the attack... it was coils of gray mist that solidified into nightmares." Lilly hissed and Lis nodded. "A Tenno mental attack. I faced a Nyx once who did something similar to me."

"_Any_ Tenno can do such." Lilly's voice was far away. "At our core, we are energy. We can use far more of our inner energies than humans can. But... to do such a horrid thing. To attack a _child_?" She shook her head. "I know there has been...rumblings of discontent. But _this_..."

"I have no proof." Lis wanted to curl up under a rock somewhere as Lilly's gaze landed on her. "Just a memory that may or may not have been planted." Lilly tilted her head in curiosity and Lis swallowed hard. "The voice...felt wrong. It wasn't an old woman no matter what it sounded like."

"One of _us_ did this." Lilly sounded stunned and Lis could relate.

"It could have been me." Lis said sadly. "Sun said it wasn't a delusion or psychosis of mine. But I can't know for sure." She froze as Lilly surged to her feet. But the other simply strode to where she sat and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in gentle grips.

"If Sun says it wasn't you, then it wasn't you." Lilly gave Lis' hands a squeeze and released them. "But it _was_ one of _us_. A Tenno hurt Sara. Again."

"I..." Lis felt something stir within her. Something old. Something was worrying her. Lilly's reaction... scared her. This Nova was powerful and old herself. And now? Angry. "Whoever did this will do it again."

"No, they won't." Lilly snapped as she rose and held out a hand to Lis. "Come sister. Time to end this."

"Lilly..." Lis begged as the other hauled her to her feet gently. "Don't..." She gulped as Lilly moved to her warframe, shedding her robes as she went. She slid into it and it went live again. "Lilly..." She begged.

"No one will die." Lilly promised the scared younger Tenno as she held out a gauntleted hand. "But we need to get to the bottom of this fast. Serene is angry enough as it is." She shuddered dramatically. "Come."

"Lilly..." Lis begged, but Lilly just started off, tugging Lis behind her. She did not move as fast as she could. Nova warframes were insanely quick even when they didn't use Wormholes to transit huge chucks of area in the blink of an eye. She quailed as they passed several prime warframes that turned and followed.

Finally, Lilly led the small cavalcade into a large room that was set up for training. A salle. Several pairs of warfames and Tenno in robes were sparring or working on techniques around the area. All of the activity came to a stop as Lilly entered the salle and strode towards the being in the middle. The Ash Prime warframe stared at her, then at Lis. The derision in his posture came through clear and strong.

"_Don't_ say it." Lilly snapped at the Ash Prime who froze in place. The Nova's tone might have frozen hard _vacuum_. "I want _everyone's_ attention. _Now_."

This was not a kind and gentle counselor. No. _This_ Tenno demanded respect. She _got_ it. All eyes turned to her and the robed forms were wary. The warframes' postures said the same as a small circular thing appeared in Lilly's hand. Lis' eyes went huge as a Glaive sprang into life in her hand. Not a Prime or regular Glaive, no, this one was longer, sharper and _deadlier_... A copy of the _First's Glaive!_ Lilly... _**snarled**_.

"_Who the __**fuck**__ attacked Sara Priosa_?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Challenges**

"Lilly... what?" The Ash Prime sounded stunned, but he didn't move. Wise as keyed up as Lilly seemed.

"Don't play _stupid_, Guiscard!" Lilly snapped, her tone icy. "I know you have been spouting your BS about Tenno purity to _anyone_ who will listen. This is _not_ about _Lis_." The Nova said with another snarl. "This is about _Sara_. One of _us_ attacked her."A horrified gasp swept the room. "_Who_? I want to know and I want to know _now_!" Her anger skittered around the room as if on claws.

"Lilly..." The Ash Prime didn't move. "That doesn't make any..." He ducked as the Glaive flew from Lilly's hand and arced _just_ over his head. "Lilly!" He protested as it flew back to her hand and she caught it effortlessly.

"Guiscard. Shut up. " Lilly's tone was quiet, but no less angry. "If I have to, I will get _Sun_ to come in here and _talk_ to every last one of us. You _know_ I will do that if I have to." The Ash stiffened and Lilly continued. "_Who_ attacked Sara? I am _waiting!_" Her tone said that her patience was running out swiftly.

"Lilly..." One of the robed Tenno shook her head nearby. "None of us would _dare_. Serene is _not_ one to anger. We _all_ know this."

"Apparently not _all_. One of us _did_." Lilly snapped and the one who had spoken paled. Lilly continued, still in that icy tone. "And before anyone says anything, Lis here was interrogated by Sun and he corroborated it. A _Tenno_ attacked Sara." The room... stilled. "Do I need to tell you what Serene will do when she finds out? I really want to have _something_, _**anything**_ to show her _before_ she finds out!" She shuddered. "I do _not_ want to have to clean up the _mess_ she will leave. Any of us _could_ have done it. All it would take is a minor mental push. She isn't trained. She isn't _defended_. She is a small _girl_. Weak and sick. Easy _prey_." The derision in her voice could have cut steel. "We have _all_ been on guard details near her. Every. Last. One. Of. Us."

"Lilly..." Guiscard sounded sick now. "She is a little girl. A hurt little girl. Yes, I am..." He glanced at Lis. "...concerned. But about _Sara?_" He demanded. "She is trying so hard to fit in. To be good. You know I wouldn't do that." A murmur of agreement came from all around. "Even if we dared Serene's wrath, Sara is not a valid target. She never was. She is kin." He shrugged. "Well. _Half_ kin..."

"You... _dare_..." Lis couldn't imagine who had spoken, but then she went still. _She_ had. All eyes in the room shifted from Lilly to her. Lis squared her shoulders and spoke evenly. "So any who were not _born_ Tenno are... lesser?" She asked in a soft voice. Lilly looked at her but did not speak. "'False'?" Her tone hardened as more than one in the room inhaled in shock.

It hadn't been that long ago that there had been a schism in the ranks of the Tenno. 'True' Tenno versus 'False' Tenno. It had ended, but not without dreadful cost.

"I didn't say that!" Guiscard snapped. "But she is only half..." He froze as Lis moved. She moved right past Lilly and stood in front of him. From his position in the salle, he was the training master. She didn't _care_.

"I find your behavior... dishonorable." Lis said softly, but her words carried easily to the entire hall. "I challenge." A murmur of disbelief circled the hall. Lilly... did not join it. Her posture was _smug_!

"Denied." Guiscard said in a dismissive tone. "Get out of..." Then he was flying backwards as Lis slid under his guard and tripped him, kicking out at the same time. He hadn't been prepared for her sudden rush. After all... Who in their right _mind_ attacked a warframe while not wearing one? He snapped to his feet and his skana was in hand as Lis set herself, her own hands empty.

"You dishonorable piece of _crap!_" Lis snapped. "You mutter and murmur, but when faced by a foe who might, _might_ threaten you, you flee? Such a... wonderful Tenno." Guiscard snarled at the insult but did not move. Wise of him. Lilly's Glaive was poised and ready. "Or are you just a _bully_? Afraid of a _base_, Guiscard?" Lis inquired coldly. At _that_, _everyone_ stiffened. _Grineer_ called humans 'base line', 'base' for short. Grineer were bullies, the strong taking from the weak. It was what they _were_. _All_ they were. Lis shook her head and turned back to Lilly. "Never mind. I shouldn't have expected to find _honor_ here."

"Don't turn your back on me, renegade!" Guiscard snapped. Lis looked over her shoulder at him, but he hadn't moved. Lilly was still ready to throw.

"I was a renegade, yes." Lis' voice was quiet, but carried easily. "Do you think I had a _choice_? I was in my _first_ year in the clan when they rebelled. I..." She slumped. "Yes, I trusted Nicholas. I shouldn't have. I _should_ have left when Karl called on us to. But Nicholas... When he spoke, you _believed_." Sadness sounded in her voice now. "He was so charismatic. You wanted to believe it wasn't insanity that he was spouting. Even when he ordered me to kill people who were just doing their jobs... I wanted to _believe!_" Tears were falling now as she turned to face Guiscard who was staring at her. "What do _you_ know of pain and regret, Guardsman? What the _hell_ do you know? I had to _kill_ people who had _no_ chance against me because my clan leader _ordered_ me to! Because _they_ knew right from wrong and I _didn't_. I _couldn't_."

"Where, Lis?" Lilly's soft voice cut through the silence that had enveloped the salle like her Glaive might have. "Where was that?"

"Mars." Lis said quietly. "Nicholas said he wanted the warheads for the plutonium. For the reactors. A thousand years of power for the taking. We... we believed him. The Marines who blocked our way did not. They had no chance against us. None. And they fought and _died_ anyway!" She slumped in place. "I am a renegade. I am a murderer. I tried to moderate my toxins to sedate. To disable the Marines non lethally and the others killed everyone_ anyway!_" She shook her head. "I managed to save one. _One!_" She speared a lone finger at Giscard who flinched away. She was screaming now but no one seemed to notice. "And what did Nicholas _do_? He _enslaved_ the poor guy! Used _Sentient_ tech on him!" She shook her head. "I didn't know about the enthrallment... until later... but I saw the Marine... he... he wasn't the same."

"Gunny Miguel." Lilly said softly.

"You can call me _renegade_, you can call me _base_, you can call me anything you _fucking_ want!" Lis screamed at Guiscard who was staring at her. "Nothing you do or _say_ can match what I call _myself_. Fool! Traitor! Coward! Weakling! I am _all_ of that! All of that and _more!_" She shook her head angrily, dashing the tears from her face with the sleeve of her robe. "But _when_ I find who hurt Sara, I _will_ hurt that person and drag them kicking and screaming to explain to _Serene_ why." She set herself and nodded to the frozen Ash. "Sara _is_ a child. A child _born_ of fear and hate, made by monsters for a monstrous purpose. But she is a _child!_ A weak and sick child who was rescued by _love_. If you threaten her, I _will_ take your broken body to Serene or _die trying_." No idle threat this. A solemn vow.

"Well, Guiscard?" Lilly... sheathed her Glaive. "What _say_ you?"

"I..." The Ash shook his head slowly. "Challenge accepted and..." Lis stiffened as he _knelt_ and bowed his head. "You prevail."

"Do not kneel to me." Lis said with a low moan. "I am... unworthy." She turned for the door, but several Tenno in Prime warframes were blocking her path. "Please." She begged. She went totally still as a murmur swept the room.

'Sister to sister' 'Brother to sister'

"No!" Lis pleaded, her hands coming up to cover her ears. "_I am not worth it!_" She screamed. She jumped as Lilly laid a hand on her arm, easing Lis into a gentle embrace. Lis was fighting her tears with everything she was worth but...

"_We_ disagree." Lis lost her battle and sobbed as Lilly held her. Hand were touching her. Offering comfort, offering strength that she needed. Finally, her tears were spent and she just stood, Lilly holding her. Lilly sighed as she rubbed Lis' head gently. "Someone hurt Sara. Lis says it was coils of gray mist that solidified into Sara's worst nightmares. That sounds like a Tenno attack, no?"

"It _does_." Guiscard sounded calm, but it was a facade. He was just as angry as Lilly and Lis now. "We need to be checked. _All_ of us. Me first."

"Who will...?" Lis started to say and went still as Giscard moved to stand near her and held out his hands to her. "No... I... _I_ can't."

"You heard the voice." Giscard said quietly. "I bet you will recognize it."

"I doubt it." Lis said weakly. The Ash looked at her and she sighed. "It...wasn't right. That voice. It wasn't an old woman like it sounded. It was as if someone was disguising their mental signature."

"Then we need Sun to check." Giscard said with a nod. Lis went still as all of the other Tenno in the room nodded. "If one of us did such a horrific thing... Then _anyone_ could be at risk. Even the Empress." Lis was shaking her head, but Giscard was not dissuaded. "Lis, think. We all have to trust one another. We have to. I... may spout as Lilly here says, but do you really think I would knowingly harm a child?"

"I want to say 'no'." Lis said weakly. "But... I don't know. I... want to _believe_. But..." Lilly hugged her gently again.

"Once violated, trust is nearly impossible to regain." Lilly said quietly. "But you are strong. We do need you. _Anyone_ who can pass Grand Master Leanna's training in _two_ years we need. Bad."

"Lilly?" Giscard actually sounded awed. "She...studied with Grand Master Leanna?" A hum of awe went around the room that faded as Lilly nodded.

"And that evil crone kicked her out after only _two_ years." Lilly said with a grin in her voice. At that, Giscard shook his head. "You know what that meant." Lis wilted a little under the Ash Prime's scrutiny.

"Then I have done you a _grave_ disservice, sister." Giscard said quietly. "Anyone who passed her training was worthy to bear the title 'Tenno'. It took me... a while."

"It took him _fifteen_ years." Lilly said with a snort. The Ash Prime sighed, but it was obviously humorous. Lis stared from the Nova to the Ash Prime and back, her eyes wide. "And _we_ know that she didn't let just _anyone_ through her teaching."

"She _did_ kill students occasionally." Guiscard said quietly. Lis gulped and the Ash nodded. "To finish in _two_ years... Dang... I misjudged you, Lis. Forgive me, Sister?" He asked formally.

"Apology accepted. If you will accept mine." Lis said sadly. "I hated you. All of you. You were... so much better than me. I knew that. But seeing you... like this... I... wanted you to be better than me. I hated you when you were not."

"No Tenno is perfect, Sister Lis." Guiscard said quietly. "Perfection is an impossible goal, but one to strive for. I will take your apology. Now..." He shook his head. "We need to find out what happened. If one of us _did_ attack Sara, then we need to know. _Now_."

"It might have been a subconscious thing." Lis said, a bit timid still.

"We will figure it out." Lilly gave Lis a squeeze of approval. "With your help."

* * *

><p>"<em>None<em> of us?"

Lilly and Lis both said the same thing at the same time. Guiscard and Sun both seemed tense and Lis could understand. They were still in the salle and a procession of Royal Guard had come in, been scanned by Sun and left. But then he had shaken his head. Lilly still wore her warframe, but her faceplate was retracted now.

"I haven't done full sweeps." Sun said with a shrug. "But none of any of the ones I have scanned here have the same mental feel of the one I sensed in Lis' mind. It is not conclusive, but my gut feeling is that they are all horrified by this. None of them did it." Serene growled from where she sat nearby, Sara on her lap. Mishka stood beside her, her face ashen.

"_Someone_ did." Serene said sharply. Sara hugged her tight and Serene returned the hug. "Scan _me_."

"Mom!" Sara protested.

"Serene, it wasn't you _either_." Sun said with a sigh. "I know your mental signature. It wasn't you." Serene looked as if she was going to argue for a moment, then she sighed and relaxed as Sara hugged her tighter.

"Well _someone_ attacked Sara twice." Lis said into the silence that fell. "And that was a Tenno technique. Or..." She paused. "Or was it...?" She mused. "It felt like one, but if none of the Tenno present did it... Then someone _else_ did."

"I am not perfect." Sun said quietly. "I might have missed something. But I was careful."

"Sun, I will take your 90% over _most_ people's 100%." Serene said with a small smile. "If _you_ didn't find an assailant, one isn't _there_. So... where does that leave us?"

"Set a trap." Sara said quietly. All eyes landed on her and she met them calmly. "Whoever did it will do it again."

"And _what_ are we supposed to use for bait?" Lis asked, then shook her head violently when Sara looked at her. "No! _Not_ going to happen."

"Lis." Sara said quietly. "I trust you."

"I _don't_!" Lis said sharply. "I was lucky both times. Whoever it was didn't want to fight me. Or..." She paused. "Couldn't fight me?" She asked nobody, her face thoughtful. "I... never sensed any counterattacks. Most Tenno would have responded to my assaults, yes?" She asked Lilly who pursed her lips but nodded.

"It's basic training for Warriors, yes." Lilly mused. "Sun? Your thoughts?" The Loki Prime was a long moment in responding and when he did it was slow and careful.

"Whoever did this had some training." Sun said quietly. "That is clear from the attempted suggestion placed in Lis' mind. And the fact that whoever it was covered their tracks with a block. But you are right, Lis." He nodded to her. "Any Warrior, when attacked, will _counter_attack if possible. It is a trained reflex from our earliest training. Mental or physical, any attack meets a response."

"So..." Lis filled the empty air when Sun stopped speaking. "Someone trained as a Tenno. But... not a Warrior." Sara inhaled sharply and Lis looked at her.

"The only Tenno on this station who are not Warriors or Warrior trained..." Sara said slowly. "Are Mishka and me... But... Mishka wouldn't do that. She _wouldn't_!" The girl said sharply as the older Tenno all looked at one another.

"Mishka." Lis said slowly as she held out her hands. "Touch my mind." Mishka didn't want to take Lis' hands, that was patently obvious. Sara jerked but Serene held her gently and firmly. "Sara... it's okay."

"No." Sara said softly. "No! It can't be Mishka! It...can't be..."

"Sara." Sun said softly as he took Lis' hands in his own and they both grasped Mishka's limp hands. "We need to know." It was the work of moments, then both shook their heads in unison. "It wasn't her either." Mishka slumped in relief and Lis gave her a squeeze as Sun retreated a step.

"I..." Sara swallowed hard and then slowly slid out of Serene's lap. "I..."

"It's okay, Sara." Lis said quietly as she handed Mishka to Lilly who held the shuddering girl gently. "We need to know." She took a step towards Sara and paused as Sara retreated a step. "No one will hurt you, Sara."

"I... Did I... try to hurt _myself?_" Sara begged Lis who stepped close and took her hands in gentle grips. "Using... _you?_"

"Sun?" Lis asked as she held Sara's hands gently. But then she gasped. The feeling...was familiar. "Sara..." The girl recoiled and when she looked up, her face was a mask of fear. "Sara... no..."

"I am... dirty..." Sara said in a slow and deliberate voice. Serene stared at her, the female Tenno's face slowly paling. "I... I heard them call me unclean. They are right... I am a _monster_!"

"No, Sara." This from Guiscard. "We were wrong. You are a _victim_. Let Sun test." Sara jerked, but Lis held her hands as Sun took a slow step close. "Easy, girl..." The Ash Prime said in a soft voice.

"You... I..." Sara shook her head savagely as the Loki Prime stepped close and laid a gentle hand on her head. "I... I can't... What have I done?" He went still.

"Sara." Sun's voice... broke. For the _Interrogator_ to act _emotional_... "Oh _Sara_."

"I did it... didn't I?" Sara asked, her heartache clear to everyone with ears. "I hurt Lis. Tried to get her to hurt me... Didn't I?" Sun nodded slowly and Sara slumped. "What have I _done_?" She screamed. Serene went even paler, but then she rose and took a step towards Sara. "No! Stay away! I... No!"

"It is not your fault, Sara." Lis said slowly. "Easy, Sara. Easy..." She crooned.

"I love you, Lis and I _hurt_ you!" Sara said with mounting anger. "I... I got everyone _upset_! They are right. I am... filthy. Dirty... un... un_clean_..."

"That is not true." Lis said softly, pulling Sara into a hug. "Sara, you are _sick_ and _hurting_. I know all about that, Sara. It is okay, Sara. We will _make_ it okay."

"Lis..." Sara hugged her back for a moment and then slid out of her arms. "No. You would _try_ and I would hurt you again." She shook her head and her voice hardened. "I won't allow it."

Without any further warning, Sara dropped a smoke bomb and was gone!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chase**

"Sara!" Lis screamed. She wasn't alone. "How the _hell_? Seal the room!"

"She teleported!" Guiscard was moving fast, but then he stopped at a wall. "Here! She is in the ducts!"

"Contact maintenance!" Lis snapped as she darted for where Guiscard had a vent cover off. There was simply no way a Tenno in a warframe was going to fit in there. _Lis_ slid in like a greased eel. "Track her!" She called behind her as she slid forward. Sara was smaller than Lis was, but not by much. "Sara!" She called. "Sara, stop! We can help!"

"Leave me _alone_!" Came a cry from ahead and Lis poured on the speed.

She had to catch Sara before the girl got hurt accidentally or hurt herself intentionally. The ducts were not safe. Fans, sheer drops, even some traps and defenses left over from when Avalon was built all made the air vents a dangerous place. This was not a good place to be travelling. But Sara was, so Lis would. She had to.

"Sara, it is not your fault." Lis slid aside around a corner as a clang came from ahead. "Sara, stop!" Then her heart plummeted as shrill scream sounded. "Sara!" She cried, doubling she speed. She jerked to a halt as something flashed ahead of her. She stared and then slowly, ever so slowly, reached out and tapped the small flashing object. The tiny explosive device shut down and Lis breathed a sigh of relief. But... Sara hadn't come this way. Where had she gone? She shook her head. "Com!" She commanded and a hiss of static sounded in her ear. "Dammit!"_ Lotus!_ She called desperately. _I lost her! She was just ahead of me and now she isn't! Tell me you have her on scan!_

_I have been monitoring. _The Lotus' voice was calm and serene as always. But worry was there too. _That area is difficult to penetrate with scanners. It is automated systems. Most have not been touched by humans hands in millennia. _

_She has to be here! _Lis said sharply, glancing around. Then her eyes lit on something. A panel nearby that was just a little off kilter. As if someone had replaced it a little too quickly. _I know she and Mishka played in the ducts until we begged them to stop, but this..._ She slowly and carefully pried a panel off a wall and a small passage shone beyond. _If she hits a trap... I already found one explosive._

_I cannot track her effectively, Tenno Lis. _The Lotus said, worried. _But those air vents are not endless. She will have to come out somewhere. When she does, I will vector teams to her location._

_Tell them to be gentle. She is not rational. _Lis said as she slid forward slowly, then stared at a long dark area that opened beneath her. A fragment of cloth shone on a protruding piece of metal and Lis went still as she saw wetness on it. Blood. _She is hurt! I am following!_

_Tenno Lis, be careful! _The Lotus commanded. _I cannot scan you either. You are not in a warframe._

_Sara is hurt. _Lis said with a snarl as she eased her feet into the shaft below._ I am not leaving her._

_And if we wind up having to rescue __**you?**_The Lotus replied. Then the guide of the Tenno sighed._ Go. Be careful, please?_

_I will. _Lis promised as she let go and slid down the shaft. There was no reply and Lis tried again. _Lotus? _She sighed inaudibly as she heard no response. "Great... scanner _and_ com resistant. Joy. Who the _hell_ builds _air vents_ to be _scanner_ and _com_ resistant?" She was not expecting a reply and she did not get one.

She slid down the shaft, her back against one wall, her feet moving swiftly down as she went. She was literally running down the wall with her back against the other, the pressure of her steps holding her against the other. Vertical Parkour. Her eyes were roving, looking for other passages, any sign of the girl she sought. But nothing. Then she came to an end and braced herself above the opening for a moment. Below her, she could see blackness. A dim form lay huddled on the floor. It was a long ways down, at least ten meters.

"Sara?" Lis called, but the form did not move. "Damn it... Com?" There was no response and Lis snarled. _Lotus?_ She tried but again. No reply. "Hold on, Sara. I am coming."

Gravity was always a harsh mistress. Tenno learned very early on how to fall. Lis had learned that lesson many, many times while running and hiding in ducts as a child. Ten meters was a long way, but the area looked clear except for the still form that lay beneath her. Lis spared a quick glance around, but no visible signs showed in the darkness that was the chamber beneath her.

"Metal floor doesn't give..." Li said to herself. "I _must_ or _I_ will break. Be as water... flow..." She focused her mind as she had been taught and then retracted her legs and fell like a stone. She angled herself and caught on something. She jerked away so she wouldn't land on the human form below her. She landed with an oof and rolled as she had been taught, letting the energy of her fall transfer into the floor away from her. It hurt, but nothing broke so she must have done it right. She shook herself and rolled to her feet, reaching for the still form beside her. "Sara?"

Sara lay still, blood flowing from a cut on her forehead. Lis checked it quickly and shook her head. Scalp wounds bled a lot and there didn't seem to be any damage to the bone underneath. But the way Sara was lying, Lis didn't want to move her. Ten meters was _long_ way to fall for a human, especially a weak and sick human girl. Lis shook her head and quickly pulled Sara's belt from the girl's waist. Heaven only knew what other tricks the girl had in there. Lis knew Sara had a set of throwing knives as well as other surprises hidden, but the smoke bomb had been new. And where had she learned how to _teleport_? That...wasn't normal. Sara wore no warframe, so... Maybe she had just managed to move quickly enough when the smoke bomb had hidden her? But no... Guiscard was an Ash. He knew the difference between a smoke bomb's invisibility and a teleport. She went still as Sara moaned.

"Easy, Sara." Lis said quietly. "Easy..."

"Lis?" Sara sounded confused. No surprise with a head wound. "No... get away..."

"I am not leaving you, you silly girl." Lis said in a mock stern voice. "So get it..." Her voice trailed off as Sara's hand moved and... "No!" Lis grabbed for the tiny device that Sara had hidden in a sleeve and they both struggled for it.

Everything stopped as a muffled report sounded. Lis... felt faint. Sara was staring at her.

"No..." Sara begged. "No, Lis no!" She screamed as the tiny one shot hideout pistol fell from her hand. Lis put a hand to her abdomen and she felt hot wetness. She had been shot. But... it wasn't going to kill her quickly from what she felt.

"Sara..." Lis said softly as she crumpled, her energy fading. "Come here." She held out her hand and pulled Sara close. "It's okay, Sara. It's okay..." She said weakly as Sara was starting to cry. "It is _not_ your fault. It never _was_."

"Lis, I am sorry." Sara blubbered. "I didn't... I didn't mean to... They all talked as if I wasn't there. Dirty... unclean... half breed..."

"Not your fault." Lis said, hugging Sara tight. "_Not_ your fault, Sara." She said fiercely. "We Tenno are supposed to be better than that, Sara." The shock was fading and the pain was setting in. But it was manageable. "Sara..." She ruffled the girl's hair affectionately, careful to avoid the matted mess of blood and hair. "This wound won't kill me fast, Sara. But you are bleeding too. We both need help. Is there a com in here anywhere?"

"I don't know." Sara stared around at the dark chamber. "I have never been in here."

"Me neither." Lis pulled Sara's belt to her and searched it until she found a small flashlight. Sara looked at the belt and Lis snarled at her. "Don't even _think_ it. Do you have _any_ idea what Serene would do to me if I let you suicide?" She asked with a shudder.

"I don't deserve you, Lis." Sara said weakly. But she held her hands clasped tight to her chest.

"I don't _care_." Lis said with a snap. "I love you and I am not going to give up on you. Clear?" She asked with snap and Sara smiled as she nodded.

"Totally clear, Miss Tyrannical Tenno Type Person." The girl said with a smile and Lis surprised herself with a laugh. Sara had called her that occasionally when Lis had been forced to take charge during Serene's disability. She hissed a little. That hurt. "Lis?" Sara asked, worried.

"Hurts." Lis said with a grimace. "But... I will live." She swept the light around the room and whistled in awe. "Wow... this place hasn't been used recently." Indeed, the dust was finger deep in places. Sara did not move but her eyes followed the light as well. Finally, Lis saw what she wanted. A control panel. "Come on, Sara. We both need medical attention and you need help. It is _not_ your fault." She repeated as she rose slowly and painfully. Sara rose to stand with the hurt Tenno.

"I don't remember hurting you or commanding you to hurt me." Sara said uneasily. "If I did... I might do it again..."

"I am on guard now, Sara. It won't happen." Lis reassured her as she stepped up to the panel. The controls were not anything she knew. "Dang it..." She shook her head. She was forgetting things. Maybe she had hit her own head? "Com?" She called but there was no reply. "Who the hell builds a room with such protections and..._why?_" She demanded. _Lotus?_ She called in her mind, but there was no reply. She tapped a control, but again, nothing happened. "Dead?"

"I don't think so." Sara said, her voice uneasy. Lis spun to see the girl staring at the floor at her feet. Floor that was starting to glow! "What is...?"

"SARA GET OFF THE PLATFORM!" Lis screamed as she threw herself at the girl, but the immobilization field hit them both and she knew no more.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean, they are <em>gone<em>?" Serene begged. She stared at Eliza, but the Empress just shook her head, her face severe. "How can they be _gone?_"

"We tracked them to a disused portal nexus chamber." Lilly stood at attention before her Empress. Others of the Royal Guard stood at similar attention. All braced to deliver bad news. "It hasn't been used in millennia. The area was apparently used for maintenance supply when Avalon was first built and sealed off several hundred years before the Collapse. But the portal field had been activated. Accidently, from what we can determine. The controls were... a mess."

"Then we can track it." Eliza said with a nod that faltered as Lilly shook her head. "Guardswoman?" She demanded.

"There was no guide pulse sent, Empress." Lilly said softly. Serene stared from Lilly to Eliza who paled.

"What does that _mean_?" Serene demanded. "Is it going to scramble their molecules across space and time? What?" She snapped, fear for both her daughter _and_ for Lis rising to a crescendo.

"No, Serene." Eliza rose from her throne and strode to where Serene and Mishka stood. "The system was designed expressly _not_ to do that. The safety features will not allow for quantum transportation if there is any kind of danger of... signal instability." She shook her head. "They _will_ come out the other side."

"Where?" Serene demanded.

"Without a guide pulse, Serene, there is no easy way to know." Eliza said softly. "The guide pulse is the preliminary signal. It was how the portal knew _where_ to send the people being transported. They could have gone _anywhere_ that the portal system went to." Serene paled and then she slowly collapsed. Eliza held her and eased the woman down. "I know."

"Anywhere?" Serene begged. "_Anywhere?_" Her voice broke.

At least nine tenths of the places that the ancient Orokin portal network had once connected to were... not good for humans. Outside of a warframe, Lis was nearly as vulnerable. Infested hives, Grineer strongholds, Corpus bases... The _Void_. Not good.

"I..." Serene swallowed as Mishka went to her knees beside the sobbing Tenno, holding her tight. "I... should have _seen_..."

"Not your fault." Eliza said firmly. "You need rest, Serene. Real rest. If I have to, I will order you sedated. Do I have to?"

"No." Serene said weakly. "But...Sara.. I..."

"We _will_ find her, Serene." Lilly said in a tone that brooked no argument. "We have _all_ hurt her." Guiscard nodded from where he stood. "And Lis. Serene..." She knelt beside the sobbing woman too. "You _know_ Lis. She is a survivor. Do not count her out. You _know_ she will fight to protect Sara. You know this. If it is even _remotely_ possible for Lis to survive, she will. And even if she can't? She _will_ find a way to protect Sara even if it isn't possible. She _will_ find a way."

"I... I know." Serene said softly, her voice muffled as Mishka hugged her tight. "Who... who will tell Amelia...? I..."

"I will." Guiscard said softly. "I wronged both of them the worst. I will go and face her wrath." Eliza nodded to him and he bowed. To Serene! "We will find your daughter and our sister, Lady Serene. We _will_ bring them home." No scream could have been more final than his cold, stern words. Eliza waved at him and he left the room.

A pair of medics moved forward to assist Serene and she accepted their help without argument. They bundled her into a wheelchair and set off, Mishka following, the girl's face stricken. Only after they had left did Eliza resume her throne and speak again.

"Tell me the rest." Eliza said sternly. Lilly rose and nodded. "You didn't want to tell Serene. What is it?"

"There was blood." Lilly said quietly. "Both Sara's and Lis'. Sara's blood was from a fall, we think. Lis was shot."

"_Shot_?" Eliza's exclamation was dumbfounded. "By _who_?"

"We are not sure." Lilly said quietly. "But preliminary evidence points to Sara. From what we have saw in tracks in the dust, they struggled over something and then there was a spray of blood. It looked like an accident." Eliza was shaking her head slowly and Lilly continued. "We found a small improvised single shot handgun, sized for a young woman's hand."

"Sara..." Eliza shook her head, both stunned and amazed. "That girl... First a smoke bomb and now a _pistol_... Did she _really_ teleport?"

"Scans say yes." Lilly said a bit dubiously. "I didn't actually see it. But she was there one moment and at the vent the next. Empress... If she _does_ have Tenno abilities... _outside_ of a warframe..."

"Then we haven't _seen_ problems yet." Eliza said quietly. "Geez, we need to find her. And Lis... The blood, was it... bad, her wound?"

"We don't think so. There wasn't that much and it wasn't arterial. " Lilly said softly. "From what we can determine, she was trying to take the weapon away from Sara when it discharged. The sensors in there were turned off a long, long time ago and the walls are resistant to coms and most sensors. I..." She paused. "Empress, word from my team."

"What word?" Eliza said with a sigh. "This day just gets better and better." She went still as Lilly gave a small cry of fear. "Lilly?"

"The team searching the portal records narrowed the field of choices, Empress..." Lilly said slowly. "One planet." Eliza went still. "Neptune."

"Oh no..." Eliza said softly. "No... Not _them_."

"With no guide pulse, they can't track it back..." Lilly said weakly. "But... Empress..." She was shaking her head now. "What can we _do_?"

"Pray they don't figure out who Sara is." Eliza said softly as tears started to fall from her as well. "And _pray_ Lis is as good as you think she is..."

"She will need to be."

* * *

><p>Lis was falling. But she was on her side. She was screaming. But she heard nothing. She felt pain in her side. But she felt but nothing at all. She had no idea how long she had been in this odd place, what had happened or why. She had seen the portal field start to glow under Sara and had tried to knock the girl off it, but the field had grabbed her. It felt... different from when she had used portals before. Of course, those times she had either been in a warframe or a slave to an Orokin tower, so...<p>

She landed on her injured side and bit back a scream. She was... Sara! She had to check Sara! Lis rolled onto her uninjured side and stared. The girl lay beside her, breathing shallowly. A gentle touch had the girl murmur, so she was semiconscious...

Something jabbed Lis in the ribs and she was in motion before she even realized it was the muzzle of a rifle. She grabbed the rifle and, using it as a lever, spun herself up to her feet while tossing the idiot who had poked her aside. What she saw had her freezing in place. _Five_ large two legged machines aimed weapons at her and Sara.

"Stand _down_!" A firm voice called in a language that Lis sort of understood. "Everyone be calm! Ma'am..." A male in a silver/white jumpsuit stepped forward, careful to stay out of the line of fire of the machines _and_ the three human guards that Lis could see now. The one she had tossed shook his boxy helmeted head and rose, unsteady as he aimed at her too. "Easy..." He said slowly as Lis coiled herself. Sara's protection was her primary focus and if there were _any_ who she feared... "You are bleeding, Ma'am. So is _she_. We can help." The man sounded reasonable. But she knew what he was.

_Corpus..._


	8. Chapter 8

**Prisoners?**

Lis did not move, her hands not moving from her defensive posture. The one who had spoken shook his head slowly.

"Guards. Lower your weapons." The man in the silver suit said firmly. The guards did as ordered. "Proxies, stand down." The mechanical monstrosities all seemed to relax, but all were watching Lis. "Ma'am, you are hurt. So is your friend. We can help. Will you let us?" Lis shook her head slowly. The man frowned but nodded. "Okay." He said quietly. "Then I need you to clear the portal platform. We have another group coming in."

Another group? Lis was confused, but when she looked around, she was standing on a portal platform. It... didn't look Orokin. Not quite.

"Ma'am! Please!" The man said sharply. "I have to get you to clear the platform." One of the guards made a small, furtive motion and the man shook his head. "No. She is in shock. They both are. Ma'am." He begged her. "Please move! If you are on the platform when it pulses, it will kill you!"

Lis shook her head, but her mind was made up when the portal field lit up. She scooped Sara up in her arms and ran for the edge of the platform. She made it before the golden glow came and faded showing... kids? All of her senses were on hyper mode as she held Sara, staring at the small group of young women who were staring at her and Sara. Six of them. _None_ were over ten years old. All carried small packs that looked like schoolbags to Lis' not so expert eye. The man who had spoken, spoke again quietly.

"Ladies. Welcome to facility 87-A. I am Frank O-34, the supervisor here." He said calmly despite Lis and Sara standing to one side. All of the girls nodded to him, their faces worried, but oddly calm. "We will try to make your stay as comfortable as possible." A door hissed open nearby and Lis went still as a woman in the same silver outfit stepped in. She paused on seeing Lis and Sara, but then focused on the girls. "This is Proctor Gen H-12. She will be in charge of your group's safety and security while you are here. I know you have a lot of questions, ladies. But we need to get you oriented and set up with quarters. If you can hold your questions for half an hour, we will do our best to answer them. Gen H-12?" He nodded to the woman who nodded back.

"Ladies, if you will follow me." The woman's voice was firm, but... kind. The girls filed out in a pair of lines, oddly disciplined for a group of children. Lis stared after them and then went totally still as the door behind them hissed and the man, Frank O-34 turned back to her.

"Ma'am, you are bleeding." The man said quietly. "_She_ is bleeding." His voice was gentle, soothing. "You need help." Lis shook her head savagely. "Oh dear..."

"Sir..." One of the soldier said in a cautious voice. "She is trained."

"Of _course_ she is, sergeant!" The supervisor snapped. "She is protecting the girl from something or some_one_. She was only half conscious when she arrived and her _first_ thought was for her charge. And then the private had to _poke_ her... Geez, you _soldiers_..." He shook his head. "Ma'am, no one will hurt the girl under your protection. Please, Ma'am. Let us help?" Was he begging her?

"Sir, she is going to fight." The one called sergeant said stiffly. "I respectfully ask that you withdraw."

"There is no _need!_" The man nearly shouted. "Ma'am, we have a medical facility! We can _help_!" But Lis had heard and seen enough. Corpus. Not to be trusted. Her odds were very slim against several of their proxies and four of their soldiers, but she had to protect Sara. If Sara woke in Corpus custody... Lis laid Sara down slowly and then straightened back up, but not all the way. Into a combat crouch. "No..." The supervisor begged as all of the guards and all of the bots took aim again. "Don't _kill_ her!"

"With all due respect, sir..." The sergeant said slowly. "Might want to ask _her_ not to kill _us! _Cause she is going to _try_."

"Crap." The man said with a sigh. "Fine, Protocol Eighteen."

Lis dodged as something shot from a wall nearby, but it wasn't aimed at _her_! Her eyes went huge as the white bundle hit Sara's still form and wrapped around her, encasing the girl in a fuzzy white cocoon. Moments after it hit, Sara's face was the only thing visible and it was covered by something clear. Sara sighed and was still.

"Leave her _alone_!" The words tore from Lis' throat as another white package shot out, at her this time. She dodged it and it hit the wall with a splat. Another came from another hidden launcher, but she threw herself flat and it sailed over her harmlessly. She straightened, ready for any more but none came.

"We only had three." The man in charge said, his eyes huge. "I... Don't kill her!"

"Holy profit..." The sergeant said with feeling as Lis snarled, a sound more akin to a mama bear than a humanoid form. "This is gonna _hurt_..." All of the guards slung their rifles and drew shock batons of some kind. All of the robots also had shock prods extending from their tops now. "Doc..." The sergeant begged as Lis set herself. "If you are going to do something, _now_ would be _good!_"

Then Lis charged and it was just fury and pain.

* * *

><p>Lis came awake screaming. Pain flared across her entire body, but it was her rage talking, not the pain. She had been fighting. The odds were bad, and the machines... she had no real way of harming those with bare fists. But she was fast and motivated. She remembered breaking the sergeant's arm. Appropriating a shock baton that had stopped glowing as soon as she took it, but the leverage had helped. A boxy helmet splintering under an overhand blow from the baton. A metal leg going the wrong way under a precise horizontal strike. Stamping another soldier's leg under her heel. Not sure if she broke it or not. A hiss from somewhere close at hand. Then things... got hazy.<p>

"Doc, she is awake! Hurry!" The sergeant sounded upset. Then... everything faded. She was conscious. But... muted. She could see though eyes that were clouded but she could see. Everything felt... far away. The doctor was stepping away from her, his face ashen. "Who the _hell_ is she?" The sergeant demanded, his face in her field of view showing pain, but also determination. "Dang she is _good_."

"Don't jostle the inhibitor." The supervisor said with a snap. "If she comes out of that... I don't know if _any_ of our normal restraints would _hold_ her as angry as she was." Something touched Lis and her body relaxed. She could still see, but... something was wrapped around her now. Something oddly gentle, but unyielding. "There we go. She won't be able to fight and that should dampen the pain until they can get her tended properly."

"She looks _fifteen_..." One of the others said with pain tinged awe. "How the _hell_ can a _fifteen year old_ fight like that?"

"I don't know." The supervisor said, calming. "You all... Get those injuries tended. I will have the MOAs take them both to medical. Faster and less jostling than if we wait for gurneys." Lis felt movement and part of her quailed as she was lifted. But whatever held her was gentle. "Ma'am..." The man's voice came close. "There wasn't any need for that. We want to help. Please... let us help."

Lis felt motion. She could only stare up at the ceiling as light flashed by quickly. She cast out with her mind, but it was all fuzzy. She couldn't focus. Couldn't contact the Lotus.

_Sara..._ She pleaded in her mind. But there was no response from the girl.

She tried to remember what she had been told of the Corpus. Religious fanatics who revered profit and Orokin technology both. They used robots to do most of their fighting, but those soldiers had been well trained. Outclassed, but well trained. If those robots hadn't been there... She fought through whatever was fuzzing her brain. She had to help Sara, she had to! If the girl woke in Corpus custody or worse... if they figured out who _she_ was...

Lis tried to move, but none of her muscles were responding. She felt... something at the back of her head. Where the skull met the neck. But she couldn't feel what it was or what it was doing. She was... She couldn't give up. She was Tenno! She would not give up!

Suddenly, the motion ended and Lis felt a hard surface underneath her. A worried female voice sounded from nearby.

"What the _hell_ did they _do_ to this poor kid?" Lis tried to tense, but her body wasn't working as something flared around her and she was suddenly cool. "Who _shot_ her?" Something was touching her abdomen, where pain flared and then faded.

"According to this..." A dumbfounded male voice spoke up. "She appeared in the platform with the other..." Lis tried to tense again, but nothing worked. She was rapidly losing her temper. "Bleeding. No way to tell where she came from." An inhalation came from the voice. "And _all_ _four_ of the guards are coming to be tended." The female voice gave a whistle of awe. "Protecting the other girl? Only words she spoke were 'Leave her alone' when the supervisor tried to contain them."

"Oh boy..." The female groaned. "This is _all_ we need now. Some kind of special ops trooper protecting a girl. We are up for review any day now and the Board would _love_ to shut us down, send these kids to their own _special_ care centers."

"Special _torture_ centers." The male voice snapped, then sighed. "Sorry, Ma'am. I like the kids. The thought of some Board member using them for his or her amusement... makes me angry."

"Me too, Tech." The female replied sadly. "Me too. Hmmm... Does she have _any_ ID at all? Special Forces usually have an ID chip embedded in their sternum. Hard to detect, but if you know it is there... No. Nothing."

"You think she is Special Forces?" The other asked, worried. "What am I _saying_?" He asked with a snort. "It's not like she is _Tenno_ and those are about the only _other_ ones I know of who could take four to one odds. And that wasn't even counting the _proxies_."

"Well, let's hope this one isn't hurt as badly as the other." The female said sadly. Lis stilled. Sara? What had happened to Sara? "We were in time. But..." Lis was trying to fight now. She could... almost...

The world went away.

* * *

><p>Lis woke up, suddenly and completely. She felt... okay. She stared down at herself and she was wearing an odd garment. It covered her completely for modesty purposes, but was thin and flimsy looking. A slow hand came up to touch her neck and she went still as she felt something around it. She explored whatever it was with her fingers, but there were no seams, no latches. It seemed to go all the way around, covering where the object at the base of her skull had been. It... went all the way up the back of her skull. Her hair, short as it had been, was gone.<p>

There were... other oddities. She felt... light. Her body didn't feel quite as it had. She tried to understand the feelings, something went 'click' and her brain fuzzed. When she could think clearly again, she stared down at her upper left arm and the small cuff that circled it. On it, two lights glowed. A green and a yellow. She tried to focus again and a red light shone. Her mind went fuzzy again. Some kind of restraint? But... This made no sense.

"We don't want to hurt you." The voice of the man she had heard before came from nearby and Lis turned her head to see the Supervisor. What had his name been? Frank something? "Our job here is to keep our charges healthy and happy, Ma'am." Lis shook her head slowly and the human sighed. "Look, I know you do not trust us. From what you have shown, how you have acted... Some Corpus hurt you or the girl you are protecting. Or both. Probably a Board member." He said sourly. Lis went still and he shook his head again. "We get a lot of that here. Not people _protecting_ kids mind you, but _abused_ kids. Scared and hurt kids." He sighed. "We can help. That poor girl... every time she comes out of sedation, her fear spikes through the roof. I don't know what they did to her, and truly? I don't _care_. Our _job_ is to help hurt kids. She _is_ a hurt kid. She doesn't trust us. She _will_ trust you."

_You don't know Sara..._ Lis said snidely in her mind but the man nodded as if she had spoken aloud.

"No, I don't know this... Sara." The man said with a shrug. Lis went still and he smiled grimly. "After what you did in the portal room, do you really think we can take any chances with you? We have tapped your surface thoughts. No deeper."

_Reading my mind..._ Lis closed herself up tight and then man sighed again as her mind went fuzzy. She...relaxed against her will.

"We didn't have a choice. You won't talk to us." The man said sadly. "If you get free, you will hurt people. So, we cannot let you loose. There are _far_ too many vulnerable people in this facility for us to let you loose. But at the same time, we are not the Board. Our job is to help hurt kids. This... Sara is hurt. Very, very hurt."

_What did you DO to her?_ Lis demanded before she could close herself down.

"_We_ didn't. She struck her head, more than once." The man said softly. "Probably a fall, from the other injuries we have found. She was bleeding inside her brain." Lis went still, horrified and the man nodded. "We caught it in time. She will recover, in time. But for now, she needs rest. She needs care and rest. _Every_ time she starts to wake, she starts _screaming_. We _cannot_ keep her sedated. It _will_ hurt her."

Lis slumped. She... couldn't help these people. They would hurt Sara.

"Please, Ma'am." The man was begging her now. "I know you are a soldier of some kind. Probably Special Forces or some Executive's Black Ops. We don't need to know any of the Board's secrets. We frankly don't _want_ to know any of the Board's secrets. We have enough problems as it is. We have a hurt girl who we cannot help. Maybe you _can_."

_Can't... trust..._ Lis fought the mental words and focused on the wall over the man's head.

"I know." The man said sadly. "So... here is what I am going to do. To help that poor girl, I am going to take a dangerous chance. One that would likely get me mind wiped if the Board ever heard of it." He reached out and touched the cuff on Lis' arm. It...clicked and fell off into his hand. "You will be able to move in a few minutes. You will not be able to strike anyone. If you try, the inhibitor will activate and put you on the floor. It was surgically implanted. You will not be able to remove it." Lis stared from her arm to the man and back, dumbfounded.

"Your charge is in the next room." The man said quietly. "She is a mess. All I ask is that you protect her. Try to calm her, get her to sleep. We have healed her injuries, but... whatever she went through hurt her far worse than any physical injury." Lis shook her head. This had to be some kind of trick. Some kind of brainwashing? Corpus didn't... They didn't act this way. "I... hope you will talk to us." Frank O-34 said with a sigh. "Eventually. We can help. Maybe just her. But... maybe you too."

Then, to Lis' utter amazement, the man rose and left the room. Lis felt her extremities start to twitch and stared around herself, cataloguing, evaluating. The room was small. The bed she was in and a chair were the only furniture. A sink and shelf under a set of lockers marked with a symbol for medical supplies were the only decoration. A recovery room? What the hell? Lis shook herself savagely. If they could listen in her mind... She had to warn Sara that their thoughts could be tapped. Somehow.

Lis' head swam as she swung her legs off the bed but she managed to stay upright when she tried. She staggered toward the sole door she could see. It opened as she approached it. Inside, another tiny room. Sara lay on the bed, writhing in the grip of another nightmare. No one else was present. This had to be a trap of some kind. Lis scrutinized the girl, but there were no bindings, no restraints. Sara had a shaved patch on her skull, but other than that, no sign of any injuries. Lis shook herself as Sara gave a low moan.

_Enough._ Lis snarled to anyone who might be listening as she eased herself forward and into the chair beside the bed. Nothing happened and she laid a slow hand on Sara's brow.

"Easy, girl..." Lis said softly and Sara stilled as Lis rubbed her forehead soothingly. "I am here. Easy..." Sara jerked awake, but...she did not scream. She knew Lis. Her eyes lit on Lis' head and went wide, but then she slumped.

"Lis..." Sara's voice was clouded with sleep and fear. She sounded so lost and alone. "Help..."

"I will." Lis said as she gathered the now sobbing girl up in her arms.

"I will."


	9. Chapter 9

**Orphanage**

"Lis..." Sara said softly into the Tenno's ear. "They are Corpus."

"I know." Lis said quietly. "They are likely watching and listening. And they have tapped my brain, listening to my thoughts." She gave the girl a warning squeeze and Sara returned it.

"Oh crap." Sara said weakly. "I feel... so..."

"It's all right, Sara." Lis said, holding the terrified girl carefully. "We will get out of this. Somehow."

"Where _are_ we?" Sara asked, staring around. Lis was about to respond when an automated voice sounded. It was modulated to sound female and kind.

"You are currently guests at Corpus Orphanage 87-A." The voice was calm. "You will be housed and cared for at company expense until further arrangements can be made. I am the automated systems dedicated to medical care of our charges. Further questions should be directed to facility staff." The voice clicked off and both girls stared at one another.

"Orphanage?" Sara asked weakly. "I..." She shuddered. "Lis... I am going under. Oh god... No..."

"You need rest, Sara." Lis said softly. "Too much stress, too fast. I am here, Sara. I am not going to leave you."

"Don't let me hurt you. Don't... let them..." Sara gave a sigh and was asleep.

"I won't." Lis promised the sleeping girl, holding her gently. She looked up as a door hissed open and put a finger to her lips in warning as a young looking woman stepped in. The woman nodded. She wore the same kind of silver suit that the man had.

"We have quarters set up for you and her." She said softly, her face sad as she looked at Sara. "She needs sleep." Lis shook her head savagely and the woman slumped. "I... we cannot, _will not_ press you. But this medical facility stresses her. The other... will not as much. Please?" She begged.

Lis thought about that for a long moment and then slowly rose from her chair, cradling Sara to her chest. The Tenno wasn't that big, but Sara wasn't very heavy either. The poor girl had been sick. Lis took a careful step, balancing Sara's still form in her arms and looked at the other.

"Follow me, please." The woman said with a nod.

Lis followed the young woman out into... wonder. The hallways was not a the sterile walls of a medical ward. Or the platform on which she had arrive. The colors were bright and cheerful. Every so often, a picture of some kind hung. Some were digital images, pictures or portraits. Others looked to have been done in _crayon_ on actual wood pulp paper. The woman did not speak, just walked. Lis followed without comment, but her eyes were roving. Many doors that she could see off this hall. None locked apparently. No obvious security systems. The whole floor felt... odd. A mix of ultra high tech and primitive comfort. The woman led Lis to an elevator and when it arrived, entered. The elevator was wider than Lis had expected. Narrow but wide. Wide enough for two gurneys at once, Lis realized. The woman guiding her nodded.

"Our medical ward." The woman said quietly to keep from disturbing Sara. "Not much, but sufficient for our needs." Lis did not reply, just kept her eyes moving. "No one will attack you. The only guards are at the portal."

This made no sense at all. Lis was trying to understand this when the door opened and her world started turning completely in circles. At least a dozen children sat around a large room, boys and girls, but... aside from a few looks, none of them made any motion. None spoke as the woman guided Lis out of the elevator. The room was large and comfortable, with chairs, couches and small tables set up. There were a few of the mechs that Lis had seen before, but these were smaller. None seemed to be _armed_. All seemed to be watching the _children_. The woman led the Tenno with her burden into another hall and sighed.

"They are scared, Ma'am." The woman said quietly. Lis turned an incredulous look at the woman but the other just shrugged. "Not so much of you. But the Board has been talking about shutting us down as 'inefficient.' " She made a face. She muttered under her breath. Something about 'lousy perverts'? Lis just looked at her and the woman sighed. "Never mind. We set up a double room for you two. It will be as comfortable as we can make it. I don't know what will happen. No one does. But for now, we can be gentle for _her_ sake." She nodded to the sleeping girl in Lis' arms and Lis nodded as well.

A door opened ahead of them and the proctor woman that Lis had seen in the portal room appeared in the doorway, beckoning. Lis and the young guide entered and Lis came to a complete halt. This... she hadn't expected. The room was... gentle. Two beds lay against either wall. A desk with a chair sat against a third wall. A small door was ajar, showing a shower stall, small toilet and sink. There was rug on the floor. It looked... hand woven. A picture of a tree was hung on one wall and a smiling woman on another.

"How is she?" The proctor asked, her tone worried.

"She woke and fell asleep again. Since then, she hasn't woken." The guide replied sadly. "Probably for the best. Set her down. We have a somatic unit in the pillow." Lis tensed, but the woman shook her head. "It will keep her from having nightmares, no more. We are _not_ an Indoctrination facility." Pain rang in her tone and Lis stared at her. "Please. She needs rest and _you_ need food. We are _not_ your enemies."

Lis shook her head slowly, but what choice did she have? If they wanted to, they could knock her out, do whatever to Sara then. They seemed to want to help. But... They were Corpus. This made no sense. She sighed deeply and laid Sara on one of the beds, careful to arrange the girl so she would not lie on any of her limbs. She went still as the proctor pulled a _fuzzy blanket_ out of a drawer under the bed and laid it across Sara. Sara... murmured in her sleep and relaxed as Lis rubbed her scalp. The proctor jerked her head to the other girl and they both left the room. Lis pulled the chair from the desk and sat beside Sara's bed. Waiting for something, anything to happen. But nothing did. Sara slowly relaxed, comforted by the warmth of the blanket or Lis' presence? Either one was okay in Lis' mind. She went still as the door hissed, but it was the woman who had guided her here, with a tray in hand. She set it on the desk.

"We figured you wouldn't want to leave her." The woman said with a small, sad smile. "None of this is drugged. Some of the kids we get need help sleeping. We do what we can. It..." She sighed again, her eyes on Sara. "It doesn't feel like enough." Lis was stunned. Was the woman about to cry? "Leave the tray when you are done. An airborne proxy will be in to collect it. They are quiet. It... isn't armed. Not a threat." The woman turned and left. Leaving the tray on the desk. Lis stared at it for a long moment and then sighed deeply. She did need nourishment. And if they were going to drug her? Actually, now that she thought about it... What would be the point with the thing attached to her skull?

There was an odd utensil beside the covered bowl on the try. For a moment, she couldn't figure it out, but then a hidden button depressed under her finger and a spoon shape came out of one end. A second click made a fork shape. A third reverted it back to a long flat metal piece. She smirked a little. She hadn't thought they would give her a knife. She made the utensil into a spoon and opened the bowl. The smell was... good. Not Eliza's quality of cooking, but it did smell good. She took a long, slow careful bite of the... whatever this was. It wasn't quite soup and it wasn't quite stew. Something in between. IT looked kind of unappetizing, but it was filling. She hadn't meant to eat the whole bowl. She had intended to leave some for Sara, but in moments the bowl was empty and she was staring at it. She blinked, startled out of a doze. She was tired. Was she drugged? She didn't think so. There wasn't any of the fuzziness she knew from drugs. She was just... so...

* * *

><p>"I thought she was <em>never<em> going to fall asleep." The voice of the proctor roused Lis a little. Lis tried to move, but something held her. It was gentle, whatever was holding her, but irresistible. She was lying on her side. On the bed? Something warm was being laid over her. "Maybe we _should_ have drugged her, but that wouldn't have ended well. Tough girl." Admiration sounded as gentle hands eased Lis onto something that yielded under her.

"Very." The supervisor sounded somewhere between worried and amused. "I never thought to see you scared, Gen H-12. But then again, _I_ saw what she did at the portal. She is no average soldier, whoever she is."

"All to protect this girl." The proctor sounded both awed and resigned. "We need answers, supervisor. The Board will demand them."

"I know." The supervisor sounded deflated. "They were already on our back. That witch Vina is demanding Olena V-12 back." A hiss came from the woman and his tone turned harsh. "Not a chance. Not a chance in _hell_."

"Supervisor." The proctor sounded scared now. "She ran away. If we don't give her back... They will review us. Thoroughly. You know what they will find."

"I don't care!" The supervisor snapped. "We... we have to abort it. She will die otherwise. I won't let her go back. I don't care _how_ productive that bitch is. _That_ was uncalled for. The girl is only _nine! _She had no idea _what_ she was signing! She is too _young_ to be a surrogate!"

"I know that, supervisor." The proctor sounded sick now. "_You_ know it. The Board doesn't _care_. The witch's mines are some of the most productive in system currently. They want her kept happy. And if the cost is a little orphan girl's _soul?_ Why should _they_ care?"

"I am going to _make_ them care." Something in the supervisor's words chilled Lis. The proctor hissed as well.

"Frank O-34..." She warned. "Don't do anything rash. With the six new girls, we have twenty eight kids who need us here. Plus these two. And if you tick off the Board, they will 'correct' you with a mindwipe and shut us down."

"I have had to watch as we mend these kids and then send them out so they can be worked to death or _worse_, Gen H-12." Was he crying? It sure sounded like it. "I... can't do this anymore. I can't send them out... knowing..."

"Come on." The proctor said gently. "Let's leave these two to sleep and you can get drunk. I wish I could, but my kidneys can't handle it anymore, even the replacements have worn out. Come on. Rest well tough lady. You need it."

A hand patted Lis's shoulder and something warm was placed beside her. She managed with effort to crack her eyes and stared at the small stuffed Kubrow that had been placed in her arms. She took that utterly _impossible_ image into full slumber.

* * *

><p>She wasn't afraid when she woke. Lis should have been. But she wasn't. Sara lay still in the next bed, but the girl's breathing was even. Just asleep. And wonder of wonders, no nightmares. Sara was cuddling something close. A stuffed animal of some kind? Lis stared down at the small furred thing that sat beside <em>her<em> and shook her head. Some kind of hypnotic device? But she could hear no mechanisms, see no power supply or indicators. She set it aside. Another mystery for later. Sara was her primary focus. She slid form the bed and walked to where the chair still sat by Sara's. A hand on Sara's brow had the girl murmuring in her sleep, but not waking. The tray was gone. Then she stilled as Sara's eyes shot open, but... the girl didn't scream.

"Lis?" Sara's voice was confused, but clear. "I had... the weirdest dream..." She froze as she stared about. "It... wasn't a dream..." She swallowed hard and went still as Lis laid a hand on hers. "What the hell?" She asked, fear rising.

"I don't know." Lis admitted. "We are prisoners, but... this is _not_ what I expected."

"They will try to brainwash us." Sara said, curling up and clenching her knees. Lis laid a supportive hand on her arm and Sara clenched it tight enough to hurt. Lis did not react. "It is what they _do_."

"For now, all we can do is watch and wait, Sara." Lis said quietly. "And be ready." She brought her other hand up to rub Sara's brow. The girl leaned into it like a cat.

"I have never heard of a Corpus Orphanage." Sara said after a moment. "Then again... I only saw labs. A ship..." Both women went till as the door chimed. "Ah..." Sara stared at Lis who shrugged. "Come in?" Sara said in a tremulous voice. The door opened, but the proctor woman did not enter. She smiled on seeing both awake.

"First meal will be ready in twenty minutes." The Proctor said quietly. "My name is Gen H-12. I am proctor here. I figured an introduction would be polite."

"Sara." The girl said weakly. "This is Lis. She... doesn't talk much." Lis gave Sara 's hand a squeeze. Both comfort and warning. Sara returned it.

"We got that." The proctor said dryly. "But... you asked where you are and what an Orphanage is?" Sara nodded and the proctor returned it. "An orphanage has always been a home for orphans, children who have lost their parents. _This_ orphanage was set up a long time ago. _I_ have been here for a hundred and fifty seven years." Sara's eyes bulged, then she paled, but the woman took no offense. "I have seen a lot of... odd things come through here. You two are no odder than some. And _far_ less disturbing than some of the others. You are hurt and she is protecting you. _That_ I can understand." She shook her head. "Once, long ago, I was a soldier. Maybe not her equal, but I did serve. I... believed." Lis jerked and the woman nodded. "No longer."

"You... don't believe?" Sara asked, caution rising.

"Oh,..." The proctor waved a slow hand. "I believe the Corpus are humanity's future. A _good_ one? Or the _only_ one as we are told in Indoctrination? _That_ I don't believe."

"That kind of talk would have gotten you punished, where I... was." Sara said slowly as Lis gave her hand another warning squeeze.

"Oh, it has gotten me punished a _bunch_ of times, girl." Gen H-12 said with a sour laugh. "One thing about being as old as I am? I don't have to _care_ anymore. They cut off my longevity treatments when they exiled me out here and truth be told? I don't know how much longer I can do this. My body is finally starting to wear out. But for as long as I _can_ do it, I _will_."

"What is 'this'?" Sara asked quietly. "You are not like any Corpus I have ever... heard of."

"You have dealt with Corpus." Gen H-12 said without a hint of emotion besides a dangerous glint in her eyes. "One of them hurt you. Or more than one. We get a lot of that here. _Lots_ of hurt kids."

"But... Corpus are all about efficiency." Sara said weakly. "Kids can't work as hard or as long as adults."

"No." Gen H-12 said savagely. "But they also don't know all of their rights and are far, far cheaper to house and pay." Lis jerked and the proctor frowned. "Sorry, I am... I get upset easy these days. Most of the Corpus, even most of the _Board_, do try to make their employees lives at least reasonably secure and safe. Some don't."

"Happy employees work harder." Sara said, uncomfortable.

"Yeah." Gen H-12 said with a sigh. "But try telling a few of the worst that. They have their power and no one can curb them. Except maybe the Clergy sometimes. Not all the time. We get... the detritus. The flotsam who are tossed away when the worst of the Board are done with their parents."

"What do you do?" Sara asked, confused. "What _can_ you do?"

"First meal is being served now." Gen H-12 said with a smile. "Come and see." She stepped away from the door. Sara looked at Lis who shrugged Sara's stomach growled and Gen H-12 smiled. "I can bring a tray for you both, but you...should probably see." She turned and left as Sara looked torn.

"I am scared, Lis." Sara said softly. Lis gave her hand a squeeze. Lis sighed and shook her head. She wouldn't move without Sara. The girl looked at her and smiled. "You are one _stubborn_ caretaker, Lis." Sara's smile became a grin as she rose and slid from the bed, holding tight to Lis' hand. "We do need food." Her stomach growled and she shrugged. "Don't we?"

Lis nodded and rose from the chair. They walked side by side, the small half Tenno girl and the Tenno. Hand in hand. Ready for anything. Or so they thought.

As they exited the room, the proctor beckoned them from ahead and they stepped to where she stood. The woman led the way into a larger room that seemed followed with children. All eating quietly. All were... smiling at the proctor and now at Lis and Sara.

"What do we do here, Sara? Lis?" Proctor Gen H-12 asked softly. "We heal _souls_."


	10. Chapter 10

**Do you really want their help?**

Lis was... bemused. Sara sat, chatting softly with a girl about her own age as the two worked on something that involved small blocks being moved around a tray. It had been two days. Or at least... six meals. There were no chronometers, intentionally. The staff did not want the kids to focus on how long things took. Sara moved a block slowly and the other girl stared as an image appeared on the tray. Some kind of circuit diagram? Sara winced, but the other girl just smiled and nodded. They reset the tray and started again. Sara relaxed. How long had it been since Lis had seen Sara relax completely? Lis wondered if she had ever seen Sara so carefree, so... happy. Allowed to just _be_ a little girl for a bit. She knew Serene and Mishka tried, but Sara had always been so serious. So uptight. And for her to be able to relax _here_ of all places...

Lis looked about, her eyes roving carefully. She noted each and every hidden surveillance system. They were not that hard to detect. This wasn't a prison after all. It was a place of healing. Or... so the staff said and so Lis was slowly coming to believe. Sara hadn't had nightmares either night. Somatic units were not perfect, but they did work for Sara. Kept her calm and her nightmares art bay. There were no drugs that Lis could detect in any of her or Sara's food. Some of the other children were drugged. Lis could see the slight hesitation in their movements that came from calming agents. From what little Lis had heard from the staff, she was surprised more of the kids didn't need them. The only true downside to Lis was that she still wore the 'inhibitor' thing.

She had to get it off. Somehow. When the Corpus figured out who Sara really was, and Lis had no illusions that they _would_ eventually... Lis would have to protect Sara. The staff might be kind and gentle, but they _were_ Corpus. They _served_ the Corpus. When the Board...

She squelched that thought. She would not betray Sara. Her mind was not an open book, but her surface thoughts might as well have been. She went still as Proctor Gen H-12 appeared nearby and beckoned to her. Her immediate negative was turned on its ear when Sara looked at her and smiled fondly. The girl tilted her head at the proctor and Lis sighed inaudibly. Sara was... okay for now. Lis needed to figure out what to do _now_.

Lis rose from her chair and walked to where the proctor stood in the hallway. The old human woman nodded to a door nearby and led the way. Inside, two chairs sat beside a small table. The room was comfortable like all the others in the tiny facility. Made to feel that way to set minds at ease. The proctor sat in one chair and after a moment, Lis sat in the other.

"She is sleeping well?" The older woman said with a smile. Lis nodded. "Good, drugs don't always have the effects we want. Much better to soothe and comfort using natural means." Lis just looked at her and the Proctors shook her head. "Somatic units use natural wavelengths of EM radiation. Yes, they are artificial, but they are gentle. Far gentler than drugs." Lis did not speak and the proctor sighed. "Sara is doing better. You are not."

Lis jerked but did not move otherwise. Gen H-12 sighed even more deeply.

"I am not asking for secrets." The old woman said quietly. "I am not asking you to betray anything. All I ask is for you to talk to me. We need to have _some_ kind of story to tell the Board before they come calling. If they find a mystery, they _will_ pry it from your mind and Sara's. They will callously undo the repairs we have done for her and they won't care if they destroy her. I have seen it happen before." Lis did not move and the proctor shook her head. Then she spoke louder. "Recorders off."

"Proctor Gen H-12, the recorders are required for..." An automated voice was cut off as the proctor recited a series of codes. "Authorization accepted, Lieutenant Commander Gen H-12."

"_Shut up_ already, you stupid bag of bolts." The old woman snapped and turned back to Lis who sat frozen. _Lieutenant Commander?_ That was...a fairly high rank, wasn't it? The proctor shook her head. "We don't have long. Ten minutes is the best my codes can give us. I know what you are." Lis went totally still as the older woman sat back, her hands folded. "Even Special Forces couldn't have taken four to one _and_ disabled a MOA too. Yes..." She said with a smile as Lis stared at her, slack jawed. "You took out it's knee. Good strike, fast and precise. A well trained human could do that. But _not_ while taking on four other humans at the same time. All of whom were trained, if not to Special Forces quality, then to basic soldier level. They are not the best, but they are not _completely_ clueless either. You went through them like a buzz saw." She paused. "Or a _Glaive_. Not that I would expect anything less from a Tenno."

Lis felt fear spike. She was discovered. But...why was the old human woman just _sitting_ there?

"Two reasons." The proctor said as if Lis' thoughts had been audible. Maybe they had been. "One, you are still locked in the inhibitor. I bet if I served you up to the Board like this they would give me a nice pat on the back before they stood me up against the wall and had me _shot_." Lis stared at her and the old woman smiled. It was not a nice smile. "You can't fight with that on your neck. For _now_. I bet you _will_ find a way around it. Sooner rather than later. So... before you do,... the second reason: I am not your enemy."

"Not my enemy?" Lis jerked. She hadn't intended to speak.

"No." The old human said quietly. "I haven't held a weapon in hundred and fifty-seven years. Before that? _I_ was Special Forces. Which is how I know you are not." She said with a self deprecating grin. "We know our own. You are far, far better than I was even at my best. Now?" She shrugged. "You could kill me with a hard _breath_. But..." She shook her head.

"But?" Lis asked, manifestly against her will.

"I have seen you with that poor girl." Gen H-12 said quietly. "You love her." It wasn't a question. "I didn't know your kind _could_ love. I never fought your people, but I knew a lot who did. Well... who _tried_." Gen H-12 looked pensive for a moment. "The Board are idiots. Complete _fucking_ idiots." She shook her head. "I will not betray you to them. I cannot. Not after what they did to me and my people." Lis just looked at her and the old human sighed again.

"I believed, like I told you. We all did. And they took that belief and used us to further their ends. We were told the area was filled with dangerous rebels. We breached and went in shooting. There was _no_ return fire." She bit her lip as Lis inhaled sharply. "Dangerous rebels, my ass. The most dangerous weapon there was a _stuffed bear_." The woman snarled. "I saw that... in the arms of a girl not much older than your Sara... My Supra's bolts had cut her in _half_. No armor. No weapons." She sighed. "And the worst part? They all died because they were squatting on some Executive's land. They were not even _hostile_ and we killed them _all_. _Five_ of us. _Fifty three_ civilians dead because that Executive wanted the land and they were in the _way_. He ordered us to go in shooting and we did. Heaven help us... we did. They probably would have moved if we had let them. But he wanted the land and he wanted it _now_. Maybe there were ore deposits... Maybe to put in a _swimming_ _pool_." She snapped. "I don't know. I don't _care_. I won't betray you."

"How can I trust you?" Lis asked quietly.

"Because as of _now_..." The proctor said quietly. "You are the _only_ person who knows that Gen H-12, proctor for this orphanage, _was_ Lieutenant Commander Gen H-12. The Special Forces officer who walked into that Executive's office and hosed him down with her Supra in full view of his staff. Her team died, covering her as she _erased_ that scum from _existence_. When she was done, there was nothing to revive or recover. Not even DNA. She expected to die. She didn't." Lis stared at the old woman who was smiling in grim memory. "The Board covered it up of course, but they would have executed me if not for some... special assistance. I was... exiled instead. Forgotten about. The _current_ Board would love to shut this place down and _my_ presence would be _all_ the reason they need. My records are sealed from simple searches, but if they looked? Oh yeah. I betray you, you betray _me_. Mutually assured destruction." She shook her head. "I won't hurt these kids. I won't let the _Board_ hurt these kids."

"I can't trust you." Lis said slowly.

"No?" The proctor said with a smile as she picked up an empty cup and threw it _hard_ at Lis. Lis... caught it in midair and threw it _back_. The proctor ducked and the cup that would have hit her square in the face clattered against the wall and then to the floor. "Then _how_ did you just threaten me?"

"That was a _cup_." Lis said dryly.

"Don't tell me you can't kill with a cup." Gen H-12 said with a grin. "_I_ can and I _bet_ you are better."

"Why?" Lis asked, stunned as the implication set in. She was free. But...was she? "How do I know this isn't a trick of some kind? And also... Tenno wear warframes. I am not in one."

"Yeah." Gen H-12 said with a snort. "Every scan we have done comes back as you being human. But..." She shook her head. "I have seen you with Sara and the others. You do truly care. Maybe.. maybe you can save Sara. She is so hurt. So strong and so brave, but so hurt. I don't know what the Board did to her, but the scans are clear. Genetic splicing of two distinct people's DNA. Blatant tampering. _Cloning._ That has been illegal for a long, long time. Repairs or rejuvenation are fine, but _that_? We recently had _another_ example of why we shouldn't do such things." She actually shuddered. "Tenno leave _big_ messes in their wakes."

"Serene was not a wise one to anger." Lis murmured. Gen H-12 nodded. "You knew the name."

"Murmurs. Stories. Gossip." Gen H-12 replied offhand. "Not a lot in records and most of _them_ classified. But I have a few sources still. One should be here in a bit. I think she can help you. Maybe. Do not trust her though. She plays her own game." The proctor warned.

"Most do." Lis said casually. "So... now what? It has been almost ten minutes."

"I look at you and I see myself as I was." Gen H-12 said cautiously. "Someone whose belief was turned around and used against her. Someone who had to choke on _vomit_ and _blood_ and _guts_ to do what she was ordered to do. Someone who _broke_. Sara loves you. She needs you. She needs you _whole_."

"You cannot help me." Lis said quietly.

"Maybe not." Gen H-12 replied with a calm that did not show in her tense fingers that clenched on the armrests of her chair. "But I want to _try_. To make up for what I _was_? What I _did_? Oh yeah... I want to _try_."

"I can't talk about...it." Lis said firmly.

"Then don't." Gen H-12 said as she glanced up at the ceiling, then at Lis. The warning was clear. The recorders were likely live again. "What do you feel? Now? This moment?" Lis stared at her, dumbfounded and the old human woman gave a genuine smile. "I am not asking for secrets. I am asking for feelings. Humans have emotions. If we did not, we would just be robots. We are not."

"Gen H-12, you okay?" The voice of the facility supervisor spoke from a speaker somewhere.

"Yeah, Frank O-34. I am okay. I just had to give some classified codes to prove to Lis here that I am cleared." Gen H-12 said calmly. Lis nodded slowly. "She can't talk about a lot. She is bound by her oaths. But I think I can help."

"The last thing we need is for the Board to hear about any code breaks..." The supervisor said with a sigh. "I'll... keep the recorders set to automatic. They will record, but only dump to a secure datadrive. And for what it is worth? Good luck to both of you."

"How is Sara?" Lis stiffened. She hadn't wanted to speak.

"She is making a mess." The supervisor said with a snort. The proctor and Lis stared at one another, but the supervisor laughed. "She is in _far_ better physical shape than some of the others and she is showing them how to fall properly. A good skill to have. But um... It's gonna be a mess. Especially when the _others_ start trying."

"You want me to stop her?" Lis asked quietly. "I can."

"No." The supervisor said after a moment. "They are all smiling and laughing. That is worth a few bruises and broken pieces of furniture. Oh, and...? You are now Lis F-43 in our records and Sara is Sara B-76. Less obvious."

"Thank you." Lis said, stunned. Why were they _protecting_ her and Sara? This... made no _sense_.

"Thank you for not killing the _one_ thing I know I can trust in this insane universe." The supervisor said with a sigh and then the line cut. Lis stared from the wall to the proctor who was... blushing a little.

"Frank O-34 was always a good kid." Gen H-12 said with a fond smile. "I was here when he came. One of my first successes. I... took a while to understand what to do and how. But gentleness and kindness _do_ win out in the end."

"You... started this?" Lis felt awe. This old human soldier had done all of this...

"It is not much." Gen H-12 said with a shrug. "But it is all I can do. So..." She shook herself. "What do you feel?"

Lis shook her head as she tried to wrap herself around the strangeness of a human Corpus soldier psychoanalyzing her and not going to betray her. Or Sara. It was hard. But maybe, just maybe... she could do it. Help herself and Sara at the same time.

* * *

><p>It was hard. Lis had few self delusions. She knew her own limits to within millimeters. But this... Emotions had never been her thing. She had always had to suppress them to get the job done. Gen H-12 understood. Oh yes, the woman understood.<p>

"...and it is so hard. I trusted. Others and myself." Lis hadn't expected to be crying. But she was. "And now? I can't trust _anyone_."

"Yes, you can." Gen H-12 said as she passed Lis another small tissue. "Trust _yourself_. You know right from wrong or you wouldn't feel like this. I have known people, _met_ people who would do horrors without hesitation. With no remorse whatsoever. They may have looked human. But they were _not._" Gen smiled a bit forlornly. "You _are_."

"It hurts." Lis said sadly. "Why does it hurt so much?"

"Because you are a good woman, Lis F-43." Gen H-12 said quietly. "I don't know what horrors you went through before. It's not really any of my business. But you are strong. Stronger than whoever tried to break you. Stronger than me."

"I don't see that." Lis said weakly. "I mean... I am _crying_ for goodness sakes!"

"Tears are _not_ weakness." Gen H-12 said kindly. "And anyone who says they are is lying to you. They are a _physical_ reaction to stress and pain. No more, no less." She shook her head. "I cried when I was a soldier. Usually not where anyone could see, but I did. No one thought the less of me when I did. Got the job done. That was all that mattered. What is your job, Lis F-43?"

"Protecting Sara." Lis said quietly. "From others and from herself."

"Her scans were...a bit on the side of self destructive tendencies." Gen H-12 said delicately. "We can help. If you let us. If..." Whatever else she was going to say was cut off as a speaker went live. "Yes?"

"Gen H-12!" The voice was one of the other staff. A female med tech that Lis had been introduced to. Kari L-67? Something like that. She sounded one step from terror. "We need you in the main room! Now!" In the background, Lis could hear raised voices. Female and a male. Was that Frank O-34? "Vina is here!"

"Oh crap!" Gen was on her feet and out the door in an instant, Lis a heartbeat behind her.

The scene that met Lis' horrified gaze was not a good one. A tall woman in a flowing dress stood in the middle of the room, her gaze on Frank O-34 who stood his ground. But there were several soldiers with weapons at the ready near one door. Six of them. None of the kids were present.

"You idiotic _bitch_..." Gen H-12 said in a not-so-soft voice. Two of the guards turned to face her, weapons covering her. "_Legal_ methods of torture and murder too _slow_? Now you have to do it the _old fashioned_ way?"

"I do not speak to peons." The woman said in a haughty voice. "Where is my property, supervisor? I know it is here."

"Your property?" Frank O-34 looked as if her were a hair away from grabbing the woman who had to be an executive and rending her limb from limb. With six armed soldiers in the room, that would not end well. "Oh... here..." He pulled a small container out of a pocket and tossed it to the woman who caught it. "_That_ is your property. Now get _out_."

"What have you _done_?" The woman demanded as she stared at the small opaque container.

"What did _he_ do?" A new voice asked calmly and _everything_ went still as an old woman wearing an old style _nun's habit_ stepped into the room. "_He_ did his _job_. He saved a little girl's _life_. She wasn't genetically compatible with you, but then again, why should _you_ care? _Kill_ a surrogate and you _will_ find, steal or coerce another against her will." Vina opened her mouth but the _nun_ shook her head.

"Step carefully, Executive Vina." The Reverend Mother of the Corpus Clergy said quietly, but with dreadful force as she speared a long wrinkled finger at the stunned executive.

"I am _not_ happy with you."


	11. Chapter 11

**Discoveries**

"He... He killed..." The Executive seemed at a loss for words.

"No." The newest arrival to the strange tableau said sternly. "_He_ did not. _Your_ blatant _stupidity_ killed your offspring. There are _limits_, Vina. Even for the Board. Even for _productive_ junior members of the Board. That little girl was too young. She was not _compatible_ with your genetics. Your own _medics_ told you that." Her tone might have made a Frost warframe shiver. "You ignored them. The girl ran. I would have too. She wasn't going to _survive_ and you ignored her cries of _pain_, the doctors' _warnings_, even your own _life partner's_ concerns..." She shook her head slowly. "You are not stupid. So why? _Why_ did you do this?"

"You cannot order me about." The Executive snarled. "I will..." She went still as the nun raised a hand. From Vina's look of dismay, she was trying to speak and couldn't.

"Vina... There are limits." The old nun said sadly. "You passed them." She sighed. "I may have lost influence with some of the Board, but I do still have a certain amount of power. _Especially_ when the survival of our _race_ is threatened." She did not raise her voice, but the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. "You see your profits as more important than the survival of humanity. Fine. That is the last child you will have. _Ever_."

"No..." Vina managed a croak. Lis was hardly the only one who stared as the executive seemed to freeze in place, her eyes wide in horror. "No... Don't!"

"You have proven incapable of tending children." The nun didn't seem to hear as the executive slowly sank to her knees. "You have proven that you do not _care_ about children except as _things_ to further your profits. So as my position dictates, I _will_ see you removed from the 'Rolls of Those Capable Of Bearing'. If you attempt to _make_ another child, I _will_ see your _stain_ removed from our ranks. Permanently." The nun looked at the guards who looked decidedly nervous even through their full face helmets. "You will take the executive to a sterilization center where she will be next in line." The kneeling woman gave a small cry of fear, but the nun ignored her. "You will not listen her pleas, or her bribes. If you _do_, I _will_ hear about it and it will go _ill_ for you. I will say this only the _once_. Do not cross me. The Board agrees. What she did was too far. _Cloning herself_..." She spat.

"Ma'am..." One of the guards managed to speak. "She is... in charge..."

"And she is _distracted_." The old nun said sternly. "Tell me truly, guard. Has she been focused on her duties to our company? Truly?"

"I..." The guard froze. Then he slumped. "No."

"I... I just wanted a child..." Vina was crying softly. "Is that so _wrong_ of me?" She begged as two of the guards took her arms and lifted her to her feet. They were gentle.

"No, Vina." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "No it isn't. It is a basic human instinct. For males _and_ females to procreate. But the _way_ you went about it... A nine year old, Vina. A _nine year old?_" The nun demanded. "Did you even _bother_ to _look_ if she was genetically compatible? If the supervisor here hadn't saved the girl, I _would_ be ordering your execution right now."

"You... you can't do that." Vina protested. "You.. you can't."

"Read the Company Guidelines while you are in rehab, Vina. The 'Procreation' section." The Reverend Mother said sternly. "You might learn something. If you had killed that little girl in a mad attempt to make a copy of yourself, I would have been _well_ within my rights to have you _executed_. Cloning is wrong. We know this, Vina. _You_ know this. What were you _thinking?_" She demanded. "That we would just _ignore_ it?" She shook her head.

"No... But... I just wanted a little girl." Vina said weakly. "An heir."

"Did it _have_ to be one of your body?" The nun demanded. "I _bore_ a daughter, Vina. Nine months of uncomfortable. Six hours of agony even with the best medicine available. Thirty _years_ of joy and the _rest of my life_ in pain with her _dead_." Lis went still with everyone else at that. "I know what you wanted and I know _why_." She shook her head. "But Vina...the _way_ you did it... Even _Bek_ is mad at you and _that_ took some doing since you are one of his best producers."

"I..." Vina was sobbing in the guards hands now. "I just..."

"I know." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "I _do_, Vina. But what you did was _wrong_. You have been distracted. We have to _remove_ the distraction. Once you get out of the hospital... I will talk to you about adoption _if_ you can prove to my satisfaction that you will care for and raise a child properly. But there will be _no_ more mad cloning schemes. Or my initial impulse will be given free reign." Vina stared up at the old nun and the Reverend Mother grimaced. "I was... very angry when I arrived. If I had met you _first_, I might have tried to strangle you with my bare hands or toss you out an airlock. Luckily for you, I _didn't_ meet you first."

"I don't understand." Vina said as the guards turned her toward the door.

"Olena V-12 saved your life, Vina." The old nun said quietly. "She asked me not to kill you." Vina stared at the old nun and the Reverend Mother smiled, a gentler expression. "She said, and I quote... 'She is good at what she does. Just distracted.' We _will_ remove the distraction. You _will_ serve the Corpus without distraction."

"She... she said that?" Vina asked, stunned.

"Yes, she did. Good kid." The Reverend Mother said softly. "Go." She said to the guards. "Take the portal to Sterilization Facility Aleph 43. They are expecting you." The guard saluted and Vina staggered, but then bowed her head slowly. The nun shook her head. "Don't make me kill you, Vina. The company needs you. The human race needs you. But as an _executive_, not a mad cloner."

"Yes, Reverend Mother." Vina said, her tone and posture meek. "I obey." The six guards escorted her from the room and the tension level dropped significantly.

"Thank you." Frank O-34 said softly. "I..." He froze as the old nun spun to face him, her face stern.

"If you _ever_ kill another unborn child, Frank O-34, it had _better_ be to save the mother's life as it was in this case or _your_ death will take _weeks_." The Reverend Mother said coldly. "The _only_ reason you still _breathe_ is because you saved Olena V-12. What you did was _wrong_. And _throwing_ it at _Vina_..." Horror mixed with outrage

"I agree. If I had possessed _any_ choice, Reverend Mother..." Frank O-34 said, bowing his head. "... I would have taken it. It was wrong. But Olena V-12 was _dying_. There was no time. She was arresting. And... I was angry." He bowed his head. "No excuse."

"I know." The old woman sighed and then relaxed. "_I_ am still angry. At Vina, at _you_. At this whole screwed up _situation_. Even at _Olena_ _V-12_ for talking me out of killing Vina, and it certainly isn't _her_ fault." She shook her head. "Times like this, I wish I could still get drunk."

"I know the feeling." Gen H-12 said quietly. The Reverend Mother looked at her and the old soldier straightened. "Thank you."

"Ah, Gen H-12..." The old nun said sadly. "You have drawn the Board's eye. I can't fuddle them but so much now. They _will_ know who you are within a day at most. You know what they will do." Gen H-12 nodded soberly. Frank O-34 stared from one to the other and his face paled. "I can take Olena V-12... But we don't have space for any more." She bowed her head. "I wish we did. But there are limits to my power now as there were a hundred and fifty years ago. _Within_ those limits I can act, but outside them?" She shrugged.

"You have done far more than you should have." The old soldier woman said quietly. "For a hundred and fifty years, I have helped hurt kids. It won't make up for what I did, but it _does_ help me sleep at night."

"I know." The Reverend Mother paused, looking at Lis. Lis didn't move."This is your mystery?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Frank O-34 said with a nod.

"You picked a _hell_ of a time to drop in on these people out of nowhere." The Reverend Mother said softly. "From the record I saw, you are well trained." Lis did not react as tendrils of through swept over her. She avoided them without fighting. That would have been an immediate giveaway of who and what she was. "You feel... familiar." The Reverend Mother said slowly. "Have we met?" Lis shook her head. "The Board will demand answers from you, girl. They will take them from you and the one you guard."

"They will try." Li said quietly. Was that respect she saw in the old nun's eyes?

"I shouldn't say this, but I wish you luck. I don't like those hidebound profiteers any more than anyone _else_ does." The old nun said with a snort. "Can't say I am surprised she is stubborn. She is hanging around _you_." She nodded to Gen H-12 who smirked but said nothing. She shook her head. "I need to get back to the colony. Who knows what insanity will be cropping up while I am gone. Walk with me, Lis F-43." Lis stiffened, but the old woman held out a hand. "Please?" There was no compulsion, no push. Just honest entreaty. Lis took the old woman's hand and fought to contain a flinch as the old woman's mind came into hers.

_Don't react._ The nun said mentally as she started off, pulling Lis with her. _You and Sara are in __**deep**__ trouble._

_I figured. _Lis said stoically the old nun smiled at her, but it held a tint of melancholy.

_My own assets cannot help you._ The Reverend Mother said calmly. _Even if I could, I likely wouldn't. I have to safeguard what I have at the moment. I know who and what you are. More importantly, I know who and what __**Sara**__ is. I know the Board cannot be allowed to learn who she is. What she is. The damage would be incalculable. They would try to copy her and what would result would be a terror almost beyond imagining. Never mind what __**Serene**__ would do. __**Again**__. _The old woman actually shuddered.

_I am working on it. _Lis said quietly.

_I don't doubt it._ The old woman said. _But just in case..._ Her hand cupped Lis' and the Tenno felt a pair of small oblong things slip into her palm. _You won't trust me, and I don't blame you. I know you can suicide at will, Tenno. Sara cannot. Test one. You will find it is the same poison that the Lotus gives her operatives to prevent their capture. Painless and fast acting. She will go to sleep and not wake up. Her DNA will be scrambled, unrecoverable. If it comes to it, don't let them take her._

_Why should I trust you?_ Lis demanded.

_You shouldn't. Test one, see if I tell the truth._ The Reverend Mother said calmly. _But I __**was**__ a mother once. I know the love __**and**__ the loss. Better __**this**__ than her being torn apart millimeters at a time by the Board. Even Serene's vengeance wouldn't sway the idiots from trying to duplicate what they did before. To access the towers again. There is too much profit to be had in the madness for them to do anything else. Get her __**out**__ of here, any way you can. Good luck, Tenno. Be true to the Code._

_Fare thee well. _Lis said, bemused as the old woman released her arm and stepped forward. A hatch hissed open and a small girl in a white gown stood there, her face worried. The old nun took the small girl's hand and they both stepped into the airlock. It hissed shut behind her. _Lotus?_ She called but there was no answer. _That was... odd..._

She shook her head and started back towards the main room where Sara would be waiting. Her hand slipped the two tiny capsules filled with oblivion into a pocket as she tried to forget what they were. She had to think, to plan. To prepare. She needed information. And maybe... just maybe... some allies.

* * *

><p>"We can't just let them <em>take<em> the kids!" Lis did not move as one of the med techs spoke sharply. The girl's name was Juli K-67 and she was _very_ upset. "We can't!"

"Well, what _can_ we do?" The other med tech said quietly. He was a young man who had been introduced as Oleg U-45. "Gen H-12?"

"I was a soldier once." Gen H-12 said quietly. "But that was long ago. I will not let them take me without a fight, but I cannot help anyone else while I do." She smiled a little self deprecating. "I am bit slower than I was." She shook her head. "They will likely send a ship. The portal isn't large enough for a full assault team and the room only has one exit. A deathtrap and they know it. Maybe an infiltration or assassin team, but the main assault will be from one of the airlocks. I can scramble the MOA's control codes, but that will only buy us a few minutes at best before they reset them. Or they hack each and every MOA fabricator and do it that way. Or they bring their own and overwhelm us. The Ospreys cannot fight with no weapons."

"Gen H-12..." Frank O-34 had been quiet for most of the discussion and all three of the others looked at him. "If we give ourselves up... will they spare the others?"

"No." Lis said quietly. Gen H-12 nodded soberly. "They want this place gone. They want Gen H-12 gone. They want _you_ gone and forgotten." Frank O-34 slumped but nodded. "The med techs may or may not be reassigned without any further discipline. But the kids... You helped them. They are not going to forget you. And the Board..." She trailed off as Frank O-34 groaned.

"The Board want me forgotten. Especially after their golden girl got neutered." Everyone winced at the supervisors words but Gen H-12 shook her head.

"We all knew this was coming." Gen H-12 said quietly. "Lis and Sara only provided a convenient excuse for them. I won't surrender. They won't want me alive anyway."

"Neither will I." Lis said, her hand touching the pocket with the two small pills in it. "I stand with you, Gen H-12."

"So do I." Frank O-34 said weakly. "I am no soldier, but I do know which end of a gun the bullets come out of. You two can go if you want." He said to the med techs who looked at one another.

"Nowhere to go. The kids..." Juli K-67 said weakly. "What will we do with them? We can't let the Board take them. Hurt them again."

"Juli K-67..." Gen H-12 said gently. "What _can_ we do? _Kill_ them?" The girl winced and the soldier shook her head. "No. Where there is life, there is hope, even as a wage slave to the Board. I am dead either way. I will take some of them with me. You and Oleg U-45 don't have to die, Juli K-67."

"This is so wrong." Juli K-67 said, tears falling. "So wrong."

"I know." Frank O-34 said quietly. "We need to deactivate Lis' inhibitor. Then... we get the kids as ready as we can. Maybe... they can escape somehow?" He paused as a chime sounded. "Yes?" He asked and the door opened to show Sara just outside. She looked... odd. Worried, but...an odd bubble of anticipation seemed just under her skin. Lis frowned. What the? "Sara B-76?" He asked calmly. "Can I help you?"

"I think I can help you." Sara said softly. "I... um... I... um... was working on stuff with the others. The com unit design."

"And?" Gen H-12 said in a suspicious tone. "Any coms are monitored and recorded. Anything we send will be folded, spindled and mutilated by the Board. They will know what we send almost as soon as we send it. And who could we possibly call for help?"

She glanced at Lis, but Lis shook her head minutely. The Tenno had no idea where they were or what was going on. Even if they _did_? There was no guarantee they could get to the facility in time.

"You know that short range passive listening com we were designing?" Sara said with a gulp. The others looked at each other and Frank O-34 nodded. "We got it working."

"And?" Lis asked, suspicion rising. The Tenno would not break radio silence.

"We... picked up something very odd in the low end radio bands." Sara said with a small frown. "I had no idea anyone used those anymore."

"_Radio_?" Frank O-34 and the med techs all chorused. Gen H-12 and Lis both looked at one another. The supervisor shook his head. "What is radio?"

"A very old communication system. Very low wavelength." Lis said slowly. She looked at Sara and the girl smiled. "Sara... What have you done?"

"We were just listening." Sara said quickly. "That is all. The transmissions didn't make any sense. I... sort of asked them to clarify. They... were confused. We told them who we were and they didn't believe us. But... I think I convinced them. Or at least _really_ confused them."

"_I_ am very confused." Frank O-34 said with a scowl. "Who were you talking to?"

"I don't know." Sara said with a wince. "They said they would be in touch. They had to talk to someone named Cantis."

"_Cantis_?" Lis and Gen H-12 both exclaimed as one. Both women stared at each other.

"No way..." Lis said slowly. "No _way_..." She stared as the old female soldier nodded slowly. "You are _serious_?"

"We know they have scouts watching the planet. Hiding from Grineer patrols and Corpus sweeps. Relaying information. We have known this for some time. Some have been caught. Interrogated. They... usually die before telling anything." Gen H-12 said slowly. "But... Would they help us?" She wasn't asking Sara, she was asking Lis.

"I don't know." Lis said slowly. "We can ask. I will need the inhibitor off. I need to be able to fight if the enemy comes."

"We can do that quick." Frank O-34 said with a scowl. "But who the hell is _Cantis_?" Lis and Gen H-12 shared a long look and then Gen H-12 spoke softly.

"Cantis is one of the most wanted woman in the system. She is one of the leaders of the Red Veil."


	12. Chapter 12

((This one is BAD. People with weak stomachs may want to skip. You will get the idea from context. The title says it all.))

**Violations **

Lis swam back to consciousness slowly. What was wrong? The last thing she remembered was talking to the medics, they had taken her inhibitor off and both had been _terrified_ of her. A few gentle words had calmed both down and they had gone about their duties, preparing the kids for a journey that none of the youngsters were emotionally or physically ready for. Then... nothing.

_An agonized scream sounded. For a moment, Lis wondered who was screaming. It felt like it was far away. The voice was familiar. But... She went still. It was __**her**__ voice!_

"Shut it up." The cold hard voice that sounded from close at hand was male and angry. "When can we brainscan?"

_Brainscan? No! Lis tried to recoil, tried to do anything, but everything was off. Everything was wrong. She wasn't... It didn't feel... The scream...stopped in mid syllable. Lis didn't feel any different. What the hell?_

"Sir." Another male voice. "If we try to brainscan with that piece of metal in her skull, it will kill her and we will get no information. If we try to remove the metal as it is, without trying to heal any of the damage, it will kill her. We _may_ be able to bring her back after..." The voice sounded dubious. "But my professional opinion is to let her heal for a time first. Then remove the metal. Then a brainscan. But if we do it now? She dies for no gain."

_Metal? What? In her __**head**__? This made no sense._

"Get out of my sight, doctor!" The first voice snapped. "I will find someone who will obey orders."

"With all due respect, Sir." The doctor replied evenly. "_You_ may be in charge of the facility while Executive Vina is... incapacitated, but this is _my_ medical ward. If you want me removed, you will have to convene a board of inquiry. You asked my professional opinion, I _gave_ it. You have no grounds to remove me. A brainscan will kill this young woman for no gain." He repeated.

"The Board want answers, doctor." The angry male voice retorted. "Not excuses. How soon can you remove the metal with a reasonable chance of her surviving?"

"Reasonable to me or reasonable to someone who wants blood?" The doctor asked calmly. A snarl answered him and the doctor sighed. "Didn't you get _enough_ blood with your 'surprise attack that no one could expect so soon'? And what do we have to show for it? _One_ broken human girl. One who may never recover her wits."

"She won't need wits." The other said with a smug laugh. "If she needs time to recover, she can recover in the Automated Reproduction Facility. We can do all what we need there, including brainscans."

"Sir!" The doctor sounded aghast. "You can't _do_ that! There is no way for her to sign a release form!"

"So there is no way for her to _object_, now _is_ there?" The other said with a soft, menacing laugh. "The facilities there will keep her docile, heal her injury, no? Move her there. Now."

_Something changed. Lis was moving. Sinking. No, she was floating. It felt... odd._

"Sir!" The doctor snapped. "This is _wrong! _I will protest! All the way to the Board if I must!"

"Protest away." The other said smugly. "While you do that? I _will_ have answers from her. And I want her to _suffer!_"

"Sir! You can't do that!" The doctor was begging from far away as Lis felt the world slip away. "That is _nonconsensual!_"

* * *

><p><strong>An indeterminate time later<strong>

_What the...?_

Lis was floating, but... not. She was swimming in something that flowed like syrup around her. It felt... oddly soothing. But wrong. A voice startled her and she jerked as...something touched her. She couldn't see. She couldn't feel. But... it was familiar.

"Lis..." Janet! This was Janet. But... "Oh _Lis_..." Why was the Oracle _crying?_

"Janet?" Lis had never heard her voice sound quite so small. "What is going on? What happened? What happened to Sara?" She tried to dredge up fear or anger. They wouldn't come.

"Sara is... Well... she is a mess." The human woman said sadly. "She is madder than _hell_. The Red Veil medics have had to sedate her _three_ times to keep her from launching a one girl rescue attempt. Scary thing is? She might _succeed_ all by her lonesome. Not a huge chance of success, but _a_ chance."

"The Red Veil?" Lis said slowly. "They came? I... I don't remember."

"You will." Janet promised her. "Tenno are... somewhat different from humans. The damage you took was extensive, but the memories will regenerate. You will remember. Eventually. You will remember... _everything_." She was crying again.

"Janet?" Lis asked, her voice tiny. "What happened? Can you say? Where am I?"

"You are in limbo. Between life and death, Lis." Janet said sadly and a waft of something came over Lis as she shivered. "Your body is alive and your mind... Tenno are more energy than organic matter. Still bits of both, but far more energy than humans. You will recover. In time. But..."

"Janet, you are scaring me." Lis felt small admitting that, but something wrapped around her. It felt... comforting. Like a hug. "What happened to me? You say Sara got away?"

"You were trying to convince Gen H-12 to leave." Janet said softly. "She refused to. Said she had run as far as she would. _Tough_ old lady." The Oracle said with a sad snort. "Here, let me try this." Something touched Lis and she...

"I...remember..." Lis said slowly. Indeed, she did. Some.

Gen H-12 had produced an eclectic collection of armaments from...somewhere. The supervisor and the med techs had been busy trying to get the kids ready to flee. Sara had been helping, burying her own needs in the needs of the others. Then the portal had activated. Gen H-12 had opened fire, the kids had started screaming and the whole situation had gone to hell. Lis remembered firing a Supra at one point at a pair of MOAs trying to flank the defensive position that Gen H-12 had set up, then Sara had called that evac had arrived. Lis remembered begging Gen to flee, but the stubborn human had refused. Just kept firing her Snipetron. Every shot ended a life, or terminated a mechanical. Lis had been about to grab the human and run when a section of wall had fallen in and troops had swarmed out, firing. Sara had screamed Lis' name as Lis had slammed and scrambled the hatch in Sara's face before turning to fire again... Then... Gen H-12 had been swarmed by enemies. Something had exploded. The old woman had worn an odd vest that Lis had thought was armor. But... it had probably been explosives. Lis had fought back to her feet. Nothing had been left of Gen _or_ the enemies who had swarmed her. The other enemies had charged Lis and... It all went black.

"I was... hit..." Lis said softly. "Wasn't I?"

"You were hit a bunch of times. The crappy armor they managed to cobble together saved your life, but barely." Janet said sadly. "You would have healed that damage, as bad as it was. The problem... One of the MOAs you shot exploded when it was right on top of you. A fragment of its hull penetrated your helmet and then your cranium. The damage was... extreme."

"That was the metal those two men were talking about." Lis said slowly. She could not have missed the rage that flew through Janet if she had been mind blind. "Janet?"

"I can't help you Lis." Janet said sadly. "I have done all I can. You will heal. In time. But... it may take more time than you _have_. All I can do is hope. And pray. Be well, Lis. If I don't see you on this side of the database, I _will_ on the other. Someday."

"Wait..." Lis pleaded as something changed. She was falling.. "Janet?" She begged. "What is happening?"

"You are waking." Janet said, her voice abject. "Oh Lis... Don't give in to your anger, Lis. Remember Sara. Remember your _love_ for Sara."

"What does _that_ have to do with...?" But Lis was falling. Or flying. Or both.

* * *

><p>"Holy <em><strong>Profit<strong>_!"

_The voice was familiar. The female executive from before. Vina. The one that the Reverend Mother had sentenced to sterilization. But...she wasn't angry now. Or, she was. But not. More fearful. Terrified. But... not for herself? Lis couldn't move. Couldn't feel. She wasn't afraid. She felt... warm? But... wet._

"I _found_ her! We have to get her _out_ of there! _**Now**_!" Vina commanded. Something touched Lis. A hand? It...was brushing her face. Brushing things away from her face that crackled. Dried tears? "Doc!" The woman screamed. Another voice came close. Female. Worried.

"Executive, we will have to ease her from the machinery." This had to be a female medical professional. "She is... Oh _no_..." The woman sounded stunned. "**_No_**..."

"_Tell me_ this _isn't_ what I think it is, doc..." Was Vina _begging_? "Please?"

"I..." The doctor swallowed hard. "I didn't... _None_ of us were allowed down here. His orders..."

"Are _**countermanded**_." Vina said sternly. "The others?"

"Untouched." The doctor said with a swallow. "Just... the one with... her. Ma'am... The automated reservoirs were never filled. No... No fluids. Just the... probes." She sounded sick to her stomach. "I..." Someone was noisily sick.

"Easy, Doc. This is going to be... bad." Vina said softly. Then she snarled. "_Guard_!" She snapped.

"Ma'am?" The voice of what had to be a soldier came from nearby.

"Tell the security chief to take Maxwell D-90 into custody." The woman made a noise of pain and regret. "_Quietly_. Keep it gentle and allow him access to representation if he asks. But _keep_ him _secure_."

"Charges?" The guard asked and then swallowed. "Oh..." He sounded stunned now. "I see." _His_ voice turned sick.

"Charges are as follows: _Violation_ of Company Policy. _Misappropriation_ of Company resources. _Misuse_ of Company equipment for _personal_ reasons." Vina said quietly. "For _starters_. There _will_ be others."

"Those are capital offenses, Ma'am." The guard said soberly. "Not that I am _disagreeing_ or anything."

"He used _my_ authority to do this. Codes _I_ gave him." Vina said, rage singing, but held in check. "I _want_ his _balls_ on a _plate_. But I was just... _reinstructed_ in the Corporate Guidelines. We better do this legal. This is my fault. If only I had seen... what he was..." She sighed. "Go, and keep it quiet if you can. Or _every_ female worker on this _station_ will be forming a _lynch mob_. I... want to do that myself. But... I am held to a higher standard."

"You couldn't have known, Executive." The guard said quietly.

"Maybe." Vina said sadly as the hand or whatever traced Lis' cheek again. The female Tenno tried to speak, tried to move. She couldn't. "Doc?" She _was_ begging now. "Talk to me."

"The brain damage was repaired, Executive. The metal was removed." The doctor sounded weak now. Had she _vomited_? A _medical professional_? "But she has been subjected to at least two brainscans. I... I don't see how they could have gotten anything. They were... erratic? Definitely not done by a professional. And this...scarring... Two days... It has been two _days_..."

"I know..." Vina said, choking softly. "Is there..._any_ chance of her recovering?" She asked.

"The brain can be tricky." The doc said quietly. "But... even if she _does_ recover, Executive... if she _remembers_ what was done to her here... It may drive her mad."

_What were they talking about? Lis felt...ambivalent. Nothing hurt._

"She has a right to her anger, doctor." Vina said quietly. "Let none say otherwise. This is my responsibility. I will see her tended. At my own expense." The doctor inhaled sharply and Vina chuckled, a sad sound. "I will use the credits I had set aside for child care. I won't need them for that now."

"You have... changed, Executive Vina." The doctor said quietly as soft tugging pulled on Lis. The Tenno struggled against it, but whatever was pulling her was insistent. No, not pulling _her_. Pulling something _out_ of her! "Easy, girl..." The doc crooned. "Easy. Let us get them out. Easy, it's okay."

"Nearly being _executed_ for being _stupid_ has that effect occasionally." The other woman said sadly. "She is twitching. Is that... good or bad?"

"I don't know." The doctor said quietly. "For what it is worth, Executive... I will do what I can. But... You might want to consult people who have dealt with such before."

"I need to talk to the Reverend Mother anyway." Vina said darkly. "And yes, I fully intend to _grovel_."

"Ma'am!" The doctor said sharply.

"You medics were right, I was _wrong_." Vina said quietly. "Two _days_ worth of reading the Corporate Guidelines on Procreation were...eye opening. Thank you for being who you are, doctor. Now... if there is anything I can do... please... Money, power, all of that is meaningless to me right now. Next to this poor girl's pain... Utterly meaningless."

"Ma'am..." The doctor sounded upset now. "She is a kid, but..."

"She is _not_ a kid." Vina said quietly. "I don't know _what_ she is, but she is _not_ a kid. A kid wouldn't have killed as many of the troops Maxwell D-90 threw away as she did. Be very careful, doctor, but be very _gentle_. And... only _female_ nurses. Understand?"

_The pulling was insistent now and Lis tried to get away from it. She couldn't. She... couldn't move._

"Yes, Ma'am." The doctor said with a snarl of understanding. Then she sighed. "She is resisting. Clamping down. We will have to sedate her to get the probes out. The feeding tube and catheters likewise. We get her upstairs and into the ICU and then we can see what is what. Until then?"

"Until then, all we can do is minimize the damage." Vina agreed. "And I will get back to what I do best. Running this facility. This was my responsibility and it is time I _took_ responsibility." Lis tried to make a noise and the executive hissed. "Doc?"

"She... spoke into the tube. She understands us." The doctor said slowly. "She shouldn't, but she _does_. She has higher brain function. Somehow." The woman sounded both worried and ecstatic. "We need to do scans. _Lots_ of scans. But first... a sedative. Then we can extract her." Something pricked Lis' arm. It felt... raw. That arm. The hand or whatever it was traced Lis' forehead again.

"Lis F-43, if that really _is_ your name..." The woman Vina's voice was heartbroken. "I am sorry. I am so sorry. I will see this made right. If I have to take it all the way to the _Chairman_, I _will_ see this made right. But sleep now. We will help you. We will... try to undo this... this _monstrous_ violation. Rest now." She said and Lis was floating away on a sea of bliss again.

* * *

><p>It was very odd. Someone was singing nearby. Lis didn't know the words, or the tune, but it was pretty. She could hear machinery that she interpreted as medical in nature all around her. She was drifting, barely aware. But then...<p>

"Vina, we need to talk." Lis jerked, she knew that voice. It was the angry male from before. The one who had... hurt her. Somehow. A hand she associated with comfort traced her cheek and she relaxed a little. She tried to open her eyes and they wouldn't. She tried to move and couldn't. Fear came, but something soothed it away. Vina...sounded calm, but...

"What part of 'stay the _hell_ away from this girl's ICU room' do you not _understand_, Maxwell D-90?" Vina sounded almost calm. Almost. "Mercedes J-54?"

"Yes, Ma'am?" The voice was the one that had been singing. It was younger, fresher. Calmer. But underneath that calm lay rage as strong as Vina's.

"He has evaded his minders. Call the guards." Vina said quietly. "_Now_."

"At once, Executive." The other replied. The male voice sputtered.

"Vina, we need to talk!" The man protested. "I don't know what those crazy Clergy people did to you, but this isn't like you."

"They opened my _eyes_, Maxwell D-90." Vina said with a snarl. For some reason, that sound did not worry Lis. She knew on some level that Vina was _protecting_ her. "Was it _my_ arrogance that decided me to clone an heir or _yours_?" She demanded. "No matter. The Board will have it out of you. And me."

"Vina?" The man demanded. "What are you _doing_? We decided together! It was our choice!"

"To break _Company Policy_." Vina said heavily. "I know. I have paid and _will_ pay for what we did. So will _you_. But this... _This_ is all on _you_." A door hissed and she spoke coolly. "Guards, you are hereby ordered to keep this... _thing_ away from this girl. Use _any_ force necessary short of lethal. A Board of Inquiry is convening and while I would _love_ to present this girl with his _privates_ on a _plate_... I _refuse_ to step on Company Policy again. Once was _enough_. Until the Board renders its findings, his _life_ is secure. As long as he doesn't do anything _too_ stupid. I almost wish you would, Maxwell D-90."

"Vina!" The man screamed and the sounds of a struggle came to Lis ears. His anger...she knew his anger. She tried to recoil, but her body would not obey her. "You can't do this to me!" Lis felt her eyes start to burn. She was... It was...

"Now you have _done_ it!" Vina snapped. "You _upset_ her! Guards! Get him _out_ of here and _keep_ him away!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" One of the guard replied and the sounds of struggle faded along with the man's cries.

"Easy, easy..." The voice was the Mercedes person. Something was stroking Lis' arm now. The flesh felt...wrong. Cold, clammy. Almost sopping. "What did the Reverend Mother say?"

"She sent some records and a specialist is coming. Apparently one versed in... such trauma. She said... Mainly keep her warm and comforted the best we can for now." Vina said softly as something else brushed Lis' hair gently. "I expected the Reverend Mother to be angry, but she was just sad. _Why_ didn't I listen to you, Mercedes J-54?" Was she crying? It sure sounded like it. "You were right all along and I was... so stupid. He is an arrogant pile of _trash_. To subvert the automated reproduction systems like that... I..."

"You were distracted." The other voice sounded sad. "I tried to keep the place running. I really _did_. He took off with most of the troops, but I _tried_."

"You did _very_ well." Vina said gently. "Very, _very_ well. I am asking the Board to promote you based on your work during this shameful episode. You put the company first and that is what we need. All of us."

"I... shouldn't ask." Mercedes J-54 said slowly. "But... you _are_...different."

"They did not indoctrinate me, Mercedes J-54." Vina said quietly. "They didn't _have_ to. They left a copy of the Guidelines beside my bed. When I woke... I read them. Then reread them. They...don't say what I thought they did. We do _not_ have the right to procreate as we wish. The _Company_ decides what is right and wrong for the Company. Not individuals, no matter how powerful. And... what I did... was _cloning_." Mercedes J-54 inhaled sharply and Vina sighed. "The Reverend Mother could have killed me. That would have been well within her rights and duties. She wanted to. You know who saved me?"

"Olena..." _Lis stilled. Who had spoken? The voice was soft. So tremulous. So scared and hurt. Who...?_

"Lis F-43!" Vina sounded jubilant for a moment, then scared. The gentle touch was back on her brow. "Easy, easy. Don't push yourself. The doc says you may bounce back. She has no idea how or why but the human brain is resilient. Oh god... _please_ don't remember what that scum did to you. Please..."

"Don't...cry..." _Lis went totally still. Was that her voice? They were talking to her! And she was replying. But... she wasn't there. Or was she? She felt... off._ "Not... your...fault..."

"Fault? No." Vina said as something soothed Lis and she was floating again. "But it _is_ my responsibility. That's it, Lis F-43. Sleep. Let your pain and sorrow fade, I will take care of you. Fix this."

"Somehow."

* * *

><p><strong>For the record, I do not, have and and will not EVER condone non-consensual intercourse of ANY kind. As far as I am concerned, anyone who does such should be neutered on the spot, preferably without anesthesia.<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**You can find friends in the **_**oddest**_** places**

Lis felt...wrong in this attire. The suit fit her well, but the boxy helmet that covered her head was...wrong. She wasn't sure why, just that it felt wrong. The kind woman named Mercedes J-54 stood beside the chair that the doctors _still_ wouldn't let Lis out of and was obviously trying not to move or speak. Lis could totally understand that. She was afraid to move herself.

Five huge holographic heads shone arrayed around the wall screen that dominated one side of the huge office. Much of the office was taken up with desks where clerks of various kinds worked normally. Now? All of them stood idle. No one would dare to ignore these five beings no matter the potential loss in productivity. It wasn't every _day_ that five of the Board Members -the de facto rules of the Corpus-were staring at the same person at the same time.

Lis had to smile a little though, glad for the all covering visor over her face. Vina was in her element. Now if the subject matter had only been a _little_ less horrific...

"...and in conclusion, honored Board Members." Vina said with a small frown. "What I did was wrong. I violated four different precepts of the Company Guidelines for Procreation. In taking my genetic material and cloning it, I violated the Precept against Cloning. In not bothering to check the surrogate's genetic structure, I violated the Precept of Safety. My oath to protect those who serve the Company under me. The procedure would have killed the underage surrogate if not for heroic intervention on the part of the staff of one of the Company's Orphanages. I violated the Precept of Family. The Corpus is my family and I ignored that family. I left the duty that I had been entrusted with by the Board, to pursue my madness. For madness it was. And... I violated the Precept of Consent. I did not allow the underage surrogate to understand what I was asking her for or why. These are all bad. But most importantly of _all_, I cost the company _profits_."

At that, all of the listeners in the room went still. That was... bad. Lis didn't know quite how bad, but it was bad. Vina took a deep breath and nodded to the Board members.

"That ends my testimony to this sad episode." Vina said quietly. "Whatever is decided, I serve the Corpus." She bowed her head and took a step back from where she had stood.

"Your honesty is appreciated, Executive Vina." The head in the middle said formally. No names had been given. He was referred to as 'Chairman' an acknowledged leader of the board of inquiry. "Your own adherence to Company Guidelines has, until this shameful episode, been exemplary." Vina nodded, but did not speak. The head looked to one side and then the other. "What says the Review Board?" Lis went still as lights appeared under each head. She had been warned. Green was good. Red was bad. One red light glistened. Two green, two yellow. Neutral? The head spoke again. "Frohd Bek?" It asked the one who had flashed red. "You disagree?"

"You are different, Vina." The voice of Frohd Bek said quietly but with force. "What did the Clergy do to you?"

"They took my reproductive organs and left me a copy of the Guidelines." Vina said quietly but firmly. "No more. I spent my recovery time reading. I had...forgotten." Shame sang in her voice now. "The end justifies the means. Profit numbs the feeling, but we _do_ have feelings. We _are_ human. I erred. I was punished."

"But that!" Bek pressed. "That was too far!"

"Too _far?_" Vina asked, to all appearances stunned. "Legally, the Clergy could have _executed_ me for what I did. Legally, they _should_ have executed me for what I did. But the girl I hurt gave me another chance. I intend to take it if the Board allows. To attempt to recoup the profits lost while I was...distracted."

Bek seemed about to say something else, but then he subsided and the light under him turned yellow. The Chairman turned back to Vina and nodded slowly.

"Executive Vina, due to outstanding service to the Company, it is the will of the Board that your transgressions be forgiven. Not forgotten, but forgiven. However, the loss of company profits _must_ be redeemed." He said sternly. Vina nodded. "Your thoughts?"

"My people are already working as hard or harder than they are physically capable of. I have had to slow some of them down to keep them from harm." Vina said calmly. "But I _personally_ will contribute of my own earnings to recoup some of the Company's loss in this. I figure ten years at half pay will do." At that, all five of the Board actually looked shocked, but Vina wasn't done. "Board Members... the _other_ matter has bearing on this as well."

"Indeed." The leader of the inquiry actually looked as if he wanted to _spit_. "You gave your codes to Maxwell D-90. He abused the powers you granted him, subverted company equipment for his own use. This is not in question."

"He _was_ a good employee." Vina said with a nod. "But if he remains here, one of my other employees will take matters into his or her own hands eventually. I would rather not lose a _good_ employee." She said dryly. "If you could reassign him somewhere that he can serve the Company, that would solve a number of problems. He is an excellent tech when not distracted."

"He _will_ be punished." The central holo said repressively. "Misappropriation of Company resources, refusing to follow the Guidelines, reprogramming the Automated Reproduction Center to _torture_ someone,..." Lis couldn't help it, she twitched. Nothing hurt. But the ache inside refused to go away. It was psychological, the docs promised her it would fade in time. She hoped that time would come soon. She... still didn't remember what happened. She was glad of that. "And before that... that _idiotic_ assault..." He shook his head.

"He is an excellent tech." Vina said softly. "A military tactician, he is _not_. He cost the Company ninety three MOAs of various kinds, sixteen Ospreys and forty seven soldiers killed as well as thirty three with non-lethal injuries. Not counting the fuel and munitions expended and the medical care for the injured." She bowed her head. "The proxies can be replaced easily. The munitions and fuel likewise. The lost and damaged lives _cannot_. The Company is lessened by their loss. He must pay, but... not with his life. If he dies, that is _short term_ profit."

"You have _long term_ profit in mind?" The Chairman looked thoughtful and Vina nodded. "Speak."

"I recommend he be restrained and his wages be garnished by 75% for the remainder of his life." Vina said with a frown. All five holos stared at her and she shrugged. "A drastic step, but with such losses... For this quarter we are in the red, this facility. That will change. But we _have_ taken a loss. Part due to _me_, part due to _him_. I _was_ distracted. He _is_. I recommend the same for him as was done for me. As well as any means necessary to keep him focused on his _work_. Not his...perversions."

"Is this vengeance for the one he hurt?" All of the holos turned to look at Lis who remained still.

"No, Chairman." Vina said quietly and all eyes turned back to her. "I will not say that the thought does not appeal to me and to _every_ female worker on this station. Especially those of us who found her. But... It _is_ in the Company's best interest. He _is_ an excellent tech. His scores were always 'Excellent' or above when he was focused on his work. I erred in taking him _from_ his work. He was not ready for the power I granted him and _that_ is my responsibility. That is why I assumed the care for the one he hurt. Not vengeance. Vengeance is unprofitable."

"There have been some who have questioned your ability to operate on the level you do, Executive Vina." The Chairman said quietly. "I for one do not. I find your dedication refreshing."

"I doubt anything will stop the rumors from flying, Chairman." Vina said with a small frown. "But all I can do is keep making profits for the company. I will not be distracted again." She shook her head. "Please get Maxwell D-90 off the station before he gets _lynched_. Cleaning up the mess would cut our productivity."

"We don't want _that_." The Chairman actually smiled. It was a grim smile, but a smile. "He will be gone within the hour. We will find something for him to do. Far from your station. Once he recovers and is properly _restrained_." Vina bowed from the neck and four of the five holos winked out.

"Vina." Frohd Bek looked...worried. "Are you okay?"

"Okay? No." Vina said sharply. "I am _angry_ beyond belief. Mainly at myself, but also at _you_." She snapped and Bek recoiled a little. "_Why_ did you let me go that far?" She demanded. "You could have stopped me _any_ time! Any time at _all_!"

"Your operation shows profit." Bek said mildly. "Not as much currently, but it does. That is worth a few... foibles."

"Foibles?" Vina demanded. "I _cloned_ myself! That is _more_ than a _foible_!" She shook herself. "What do you want?" She said, visibly calming herself.

"The records we have recovered from the orphanage show your...guest as the guard for a young girl." Bek said with a nod. "That girl is of considerable interest to many parties." Lis quailed, but...

"The mother is probably dead." Vina said firmly. Bek stared at her. "The girl? She is dying." Bek shook his head but Vina continued. "We couldn't get anything from the brainscans that Maxwell D-90 did. He was no med tech. So I asked for some help. It was given. The Clergy had some information, not a lot. Amelia Priosa disappeared. She was apparently killed by the Tenno and Sara Priosa is dying of genetic deterioration. I assume you saw the records the med techs forwarded." Bek nodded. "What I wanted was insane, but _that_... Bek...if the Main Board hears what you did...Cloning is bad enough. Cloning a _Tenno?_" Vina shook her head. "As bad as Alad V's betrayal was... _this_ could tear the Company _apart_. Don't push it. _Please_." She begged.

"We need access to the Orokin towers." Bek said in a quiet voice. "The Grineer have managed access, Vina." The female executive went still and Bek continued. "Almost all of our research went up in smoke when that insane Tenno tore the research facility apart. We will keep working to access the old ways."

"My focus _is_ and _will be_ this mining facility and _only_ this mining facility. We have personnel to recruit and train, lives to repair, productivity to reestablish." Vina said sharply. "This is all I can manage right now. Your business is your business, Frohd Bek. But please don't harm the Company. Please?" She begged. He stared at her and then the holo vanished. She slumped. "Dang..."

"Vina?" Lis managed to speak after a moment. It was still not easy for her. "Not your fault."

"Not totally. Partially, but not totally." Vina said with a sigh as she turned to smile at Lis. "How you doing?"

"Better." Lis admitted. "Hurts occasionally, but better. Not your fault. You wanted...a little girl."

"I did." Vina said with a sigh. "And my madness took any chance of a girl from my body existing." She shrugged. "You paid for my madness." She paused as Lis shook her head savagely. "Lis F-43..." Vina warned. "Not too hard." She cautioned as Mercedes J-54 undid the helmet. Vina produced a tissue and wiped Lis' face. It came away bloody. "Oh Lis F-43..." Vina shook her head sadly. "This has stressed you too far. Back to bed with you."

"My dreams are strange." Lis complained as the other woman moved behind her to take control of the chair. "I don't like my dreams."

"We will do what we can." Vina said quietly. "The Orphanage used a somatic unit. That should help a bit according to the Clergy now that we have it modulated properly. With your memory returning... I don't doubt that your dreams will be... bad." She said with a shudder.

"Need to find Sara." Lis protested. "My... my duty..."

"I know." Vina said sadly. "Bek's madness aside, that girl is hurt. The Company hurt her. She won't trust us and frankly..." Vina shrugged as she walked beside Lis' chair. "I don't blame her." Lis looked at her and Vina scowled. "What was done to her mother, what was done to _her_... I don't know all of the particulars and I am _glad_. Amelia Priosa, alive or dead, is out of our _reach_ and I sincerely hope she _stays_ there. Bek sees the Grineer growing stronger and seeks any advantage against them. But _that_ way? That way only lies darkness and madness. Those Orokin towers were sealed away for a _reason_." Lis shivered a little and Vina laid a hand on her shoulder. "Easy."

The chair made it's way through the office to Vina's living quarters. Within, the specialist that the Reverend Mother had sent stood ready. She wore a Corpus med tech's uniform, but she was no _normal_ med tech. Her posture said 'predator'.

"She is bleeding from her nose again, Sister Harriet." Vina said before anyone else could. "I wish I could have kept you with her, but the Board demanded she be there if they had questions. They didn't."

"We don't want to push them any further than they have been by this shameful episode. My visible presence would stress things unnecessarily. Mercedes J-54 is an excellent nurse, even untrained." The other said quietly as she knelt in front of Lis' chair. "Lis F-43? Any pain?"

"No." Lis knelt her head still as the woman garbed as a med tech shone a light in each of her eyes. Then she looked in the girl's ears. Then she ran a small device across Lis' face. "Tired but no pain."

"All right." The not-really-a-medic said calmly. "Back to bed. You should be up for more therapy tomorrow. But carefully." Lis was too tired to argue as three sets of gentle hands helped her to the bed and Mercedes J-54 started singing again as Harriet reconnected the IV lines. Mercedes had... such...a beautiful...

* * *

><p>Lis was suffocating. She felt pain, awful <em>tearing<em> pain. It arced _into_ her. Again and again and again... She screamed, but no sound came. She tried to writhe away from the pain, but she couldn't move. She tried to...

"_Lis F-43!_" The voice of the medic Harriet came to her ears. "_Wake up_!"

Lis jerked. She was in the bed she had been given. Her arms were unfettered. Her head was lolling. Her cheek stung. Had Harriet slapped her? The nurse stood nearby, not quite over her. The woman's face was intent with fear and worry.

"Did I... hurt anybody?" Lis begged.

"No." Harriet said quietly. "Vina wanted to try and wake you, but we kept her away. Good thing." She held up a long metal rod. Some kind of extendable baton? It was _bent_. "You hit _hard_." She said dryly.

"I am sorry." Lis said, abject. She was stunned when Harriet sat on the bed next to her. "No..." She tried to shy away, but the medic held her close as Lis started to sob. "_Why_? _Why_ did they _do_ that to me?"

"One man's _rage_, Lis F-43." Harriet said as she held Lis gently. "_One_ man's madness. The machinery didn't know any better. It didn't know -or care- if you consented once he gave it the override codes. There was no way for you to fight that. Not as injured as you were. And by the time your brain injury started to heal? The worst violation was done. At least he had the sense not to connect everything. No chance of pregnancy. He _will_ pay for what he did." Harriet said as she soothed the crying Tenno. "These memories won't ever go away." Lis stared at the medic and saw an echo of her own pain and fear in Harriet's eyes. "But you _can_ learn to cope. You are strong, stronger than me. You will get better."

"Don't let me hurt anyone!" Lis begged as she sobbed into Harriet's arms.

"I won't." The Clergy agent promised. "I know _where_ you are. I have been there. But you can and will get better."

"I am scared." Lis said softly. "If... I hurt someone in the grip of my nightmares..."

"That is why I am here." Harriet said gently. "I don't know what you were before. Who you served. I don't _care_. I know what you are going through and I know how to handle it. We will get you past this, faster than you might think. I promise." Lis sank back into slumber dazed but comforted.

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later<strong>

They... had. It hadn't been easy. But less than a week after her initial horrifying nightmare of memory, Lis was standing in Vina's office, waiting for the Executive to have time to speak to her. Harriet had the soul of a _drill sergeant_. The woman brooked no insubordination, but she was also a rock of kindness in an unkind universe. Kindness Lis had needed more than once. But now? The damage had been fixed as best they could. Which was pretty darn good. Lis was chafing. She had to go. Find Sara. Lis straightened to a reasonable facsimile of attention as Vina finished her work and looked up. The executive smiled but it was melancholy.

"Lis F-43." Vina said quietly. "Is it time?"

"You have been more than kind." Lis said quietly. "More than fair. Far more than I expected a Company employee to be."

"We hurt you." Vina said quietly. "And we tore you from the one you were sworn to protect. Your injuries have been tended. Your nightmares?"

"I am coping." Lis said with a nod. "They will never go away, I fear. But I can handle them. I must do my duty, Executive Vina."

"I know." Vina said quietly as she rose. "Two things." She said as she stepped to the side. "One, you have no weapons or armor. You have refused every time we have offered, so... I offer _this_..." She pulled a hidden door open and a sleek golden item was shone inside. Lis inhaled sharply as she saw the Lex Prime pistol sitting in the tiny safe. "This has been a treasure of my family for a long, long time. For many, many centuries it sat in a vault, gathering dust. I had it tested. It still works. I would be honored if a _true_ soldier would bear it again. You may scan it. There are no trackers or listening devices."

"I believe you, Executive Vina." Lis said as the other woman held the pistol out to Lis handle first. She took it reverently, noting it was unkeyed. Open to her use. "This is... a priceless gift, Executive. I... I shouldn't..."

"_I_ am stuck here behind walls, troops and _paperwork_. _I_ have no need for firearms." Vina said with a kind smile that faded. "_You_ will have to walk in dark places to find the girl. Finding her will be hard. But you _will_."

"I am honored by your trust." Lis said as she checked the weapon. It hummed in readiness in her hand, keying to her genetics. Fully loaded and now? Only _she_ could use it. She slid it into a large pocket, accessible but hidden from view.

"Well, _I_ am honored by the fact you haven't torn my _head_ off for what you suffered." Vina said softly. "I _would_ have in your place. But you are a better woman than I am."

"Different, maybe." Lis said as Vina stepped close. Lis wasn't really a huggy type person, but she let Vina embrace her. It felt... good. The woman really did care. She had changed after her near brush with madness induced mortality. Vina had been as much assistance in Lis' recovery as Harriet had been. Maybe more so. Lis kind of hoped Mercedes J-54 and Vina would let go the pretense and move in together soon. They deserved it. "Not better. And the second thing?"

"A memento." Vina said with an evil smile as she stepped back to her desk and opened a drawer. "You can't take them with you, but you _should_ see them. They arrived this morning and will be displayed prominently as a warning that some violations will never be permitted in _any_ facility _I_ run." Lis eyes went huge as a silver plate came out of a drawer. A tiny stasis field shone over it. It would keep the... _three_ _small_ _fleshy bits_ preserved as long as the power held. "He will hurt _no more women_. I was told they used no anesthesia. It is not much." Lis matched the Executive's feral smile with her own.

"It's enough."


	14. Chapter 14

**Scrambling**

This was insane. Lis hadn't expected it to be easy to get out of Corpus controlled space, but this... she shook her head at the _nine_ people following her through the crowd and sighed as she sat at a small outdoor table. The tiny cafe was packed, but she had a small table to herself. For now. It likely wouldn't last.

This tiny outpost wasn't run by the Corpus. It was _financed_ by them, so the Corpus had a presence. A shrine, a temple and other presences were obviously Corpus, but there was no executive in charge. Instead, a council of workers divvied up the profits from the small ore processing facility and shared them out equally to all personnel. By all accounts, it worked fairly well. Lis wasn't sure if it would continue to work, but with less than three hundred workers? It seemed to work for them. With the tiny facility being productive, most reasonably sane members of the Corpus Board would leave the place alone as long as it didn't draw attention. The problem?

Lis had drawn the attention of the Board.

She had no idea how many of the rulers of the Corpus or the executives who served them were focused on her now. It didn't really matter. Anything she did, anything she _said_, or anyone she interacted with would be immediately suspect. She hadn't even dared to contact the Lotus, since her mind had been so easy read by the supervisor of an _Orphanage_ for goodness sakes. While Vina and the others had been quite open about things, Lis didn't doubt that she had blurted things while sedated, or let things slip in the grip of her fevers or nightmares that she shouldn't have. So... The Corpus likely knew who she was. The Reverend Mother _had_ known who she was, so why hadn't the Clergywoman arrested her on the spot? Or Sara? This made no sense at all to Lis. She really didn't have enough information. She needed more. She hadn't been prepared for this, coming from stasis, fleeing hurt to an Orokin tower, then being enslaved by the tower and then... She shook her head. If people were reading her mind, she was giving away things just by remembering. She had to focus. She had to...

"Your caf, Ma'am." Lis looked up to see a woman dressed as worker set a cup down in front of her. She hadn't ordered anything. Had she?

"Sorry." Lis grunted. "Long day. How much?" She scrutinized the girl. Young, but not _that_ young. Pretty, but not beautiful. She looked... tired and hungry. Easy to coerce into something.

"Fifty." The woman said with a nod, waiting as Lis fished the credits out of the pouch of them that she hadn't even tried to argue Mercedes J-54 out of giving her. She hadn't bothered to count them. It was a _lot_. Lis found a fifty cred stick and handed it to the girl who smiled and nodded. "Enjoy your caf."

Problem was... Lis hadn't _ordered_ caf! She shook her head slowly, staring at the cup and then around the area slowly. Several faces were carefully _not_ looking at her. She went still as a painfully nondescript human male leaned over toward her from another table. The men at the table were eyeing her as most single males might, but...they were not miners. They looked like miners, _smelled_ like them. But they were not. She didn't know how she knew, but she did.

"You drink that, you won't wake up." The man said in a tone that wouldn't go past her ears.

"Figured." Lis replied the same. She shoved the cup away with a sigh. "Not thirsty anyway. Besides, that girl looked like she could use a meal or two. Fifty won't buy much. But more than starvation."

"You have confused a _lot_ of people, Ma'am." The man said with a small smile. "I couldn't have done better myself."

"Wasn't intentional." Lis said, a note of surly entering her voice. "You got a reason for bothering me?"

"Well..." The man shrugged. "In about ten minutes, the various goons will work up their nerve to snatch you. They will fight each other and you. Doesn't really matter _which_ group gets you, none of them will be gentle about wringing you out. Vina protected you while you were in her holding. Outside of it?"

"I know." Lis said, her hand moving toward the pocket where her pistol sat ready. "She changed a bit."

"Being neutered will do to a person." The man said with a small smile of satisfaction. Lis frowned and he shrugged. "I deal with all kinds, Ma'am. She was a bitch. Maybe she will change. Maybe she won't. Not my problem. Or yours right now."

"I assume there is a point here?" Lis said as her hand touched her pistol. "Besides insulting someone who paid for her crimes?" A touch of ice sounded and the man shrugged.

"Well, let's just say I am not always in favor of... um... helping the Board out of the various messes they get themselves into." The man said with a wide leer that was totally out of place with his words. Lis eyes narrowed. "By all accounts, you are _very_ good. But a firefight here..." He nodded a small circle and Lis glanced from side to side. Civilians crowded the area. All seemingly oblivious to the conversation and the several sets of eyes that hung on Lis from various places. "Ticking these people off won't do the Corpus any good. But the goons don't care. They have their orders and their masters don't like to be denied."

"I would rather not start a firefight either." Lis said with a tiny shrug. "But if I let them take me, I die. No thanks."

"Fair enough." The man agreed. "Want some help?"

"Now _why_ would I trust some man off the street in a mining outpost?" Lis asked sourly. One of the watchers took a step forward and froze as her eyes landed on him. He retreated. Then she looked at the others. "Who do you work for?"

"You _really_ think I am going to tell you that?" The man asked with a tiny smile that Lis matched after a moment.

"No." Lis admitted. "So I go with them and they tear my mind apart or I go with _you_ and you tear my mind apart?" She sighed. "I am screwed either way."

"Maybe." The man said with a snort. "Then again... Let's just say you have some... odd and powerful friends." Lis went still. "Time's up." She froze as the watcher from before started towards her, his hand dipping into a pocket. Other forms were moving as well, all closing in. They... were watching each other as much as her. What the hell? "You might want to duck now." He said in a conversational tone.

Lis watched, stunned as the man was yanked back to the table by one of his companions. He threw a punch at the other that had that one rocking right out of his chair and into another table. He got up but... the men at _that_ table all grabbed at him and he swung at _them_. Suddenly it was a _fight_.

"Oops!" The man shouted as the entire _room_ seemed to rise, most of the men brandishing fists and reaching for weapons. "Ah to hell with it! I have wanted a fight all _day_!" He shouted as he flung himself into a large table full of large men. He... was not large. It didn't _matter_. His four companions each went different directions and _all_ were struggling against small knots of locals on seconds.

Lis stared for a bare moment as the entire _cafe_ erupted in dozen small fights. All of the ones who had been closing in on her were embroiled. All of the small group who had been in the nearby table seemed to be.. having fun? The locals, for all their bravado...were going down. No one had drawn a firearm and most of the participants were...smiling? _Enjoying_ the brawl? Well, not all of them. The ones who had been watching her were trying to get to her, but kept getting caught up in the fights. The Tenno did not waste her sudden good fortune. She slid under the table and darted for another table, staying away from the fighting that was all around her. There was no way for anyone to keep track of her in such a situation and she threw out her mind desperately.

_Lotus!_ She cried out in her head and the response was immediate.

_Tenno Lis._ The Lotus' voice was calm, but a sense of worry and urgency came through loud and clear. _Side door. Now! Follow the street to the docks. You will be contacted. Go._

_Tell me Sara is okay! _Lis begged, but the other was gone. Lis wasted no time, she ran towards the door. She paused at it as someone else jerked it open.

"What the hell?" A male voice demanded. "You! Girl! Did she drink it?"

"I don't know!" It was the girl who had brought Lis the drink. She stood just outside the door, her posture terrified. "She paid me for it. I left like you told me to. Then the whole room went nuts."

"This is not good." The male voice snapped. "Sorry kid, no witnesses..." The girl gave a shrill cry, but Lis was in motion. She slammed into the barely visible man as he drew something from a pocket and, with a supple twist, tore the tiny weapon from his grasp. Something of his went snap as she did. She threw the weapon away and he went for another weapon with his other hand. She was in a hurry. Instead of simply dislocating it, she broke his arm. He gave an animal squeal of pain as he went down in a heap.

"Run." Lis told the girl who stared at her, slackjawed. "Now." The girl needed no further urging, she took to her heels. "Really... killing patsies is just so... gauche." She shook her head and kicked the man's head _hard _before he could speak. He slumped, unconscious or dead, it made no difference. "You better _pray_ we never meet again. _And_ you better pray _Vina_ never hears about this." She said to the recorders who had to be listening.

Then she ran.

* * *

><p>She made it to the docks with no difficulty. She saw no other tails. She had checked her gear, but there was no sign of anything extra. The pistol she had stripped and checked, but there were no trackers or bugs as Vina had promised. The small bag of money, likewise. Her clothes had no hidden secrets that she could discover. So...<p>

"Stop." The voice was calm, confident. Lis went still in mid motion as a shadow unfolded from a ship nearby. The man...wore a nondescript jumpsuit and his face was covered by a hood of some kind. He seemed unarmed. "There are four weapons on you. You are good. _That_ good?"

"Are you my contact?" Lis asked quietly, her hand on her pistol. She could see... She paused. _Six_ shadows. All had long things in hand pointed at her. "No. You are not. Corpus?"

"Maybe." The man said quietly. His lack of fear and lack of obvious weapons worried Lis. Trap. It had to be. And if he was this confident, he was prepared for her. Or... he thought he was. She could see the shadows moving a little. Eager? Or nervous? She looked around and then up.

"Nice." Lis said as she scrutinized the electrified net that hung suspended over the area between two ships. She wasn't quite under it. She took a step back, just in case. "What now?" She asked the man who had accosted her who looked sour.

Was it her imagination that one of the shadows suddenly jerked and was... what the hell? That _wasn't_ the same shadow! The first had been male and stocky, holding a short stubby rifle. This one was lithe and female, holding a long sniper rifle! Lis did not move, but she could see other shadows being... replaced. No noise. Whoever was doing this, they were _professionals_.

"We would get paid more for 'undamaged'." The man said with a sigh as his hand dipped and an Acrid pistol came up. "But we get paid either way."

"_Will_ you?" A voice Lis recognized sounded and she went still as the small man from the cafe strolled into view. He acted as if he hadn't a care in the world. Suddenly the one who had stopped her looked a _lot_ less confident. "Ah, Macky... _Still_ doing Bek's wetwork?"

"This isn't your concern." The man with the Acrid said softly, his eyes not moving from the seemingly unarmed newcomer. "Stay out of it, Horatius."

"Funny." The other said as he stretched. A bruise shone on his face, but he didn't seem impaired at all. "I work for the Company. Not _just_ that idiot. You have no idea what you are doing, Macky. One chance. Back off. Now." Command bit in his tone.

"I can't do that, Horatius." The one called Macky said quietly.

"Yeah." The one called Horatius strode towards the other, his hands at his sides. "Yeah, he owns you body and soul now, doesn't he?" Sadness sang in the man's tone, there and gone. "Should have kicked that habit when you were tossed out. We all told you it would slow you down."

"I have to take her." The man swung his Acrid to aim at Lis, but... A smoking _hole_ appeared on his chest and he stared down at it. A blue bolt of energy had come from the side. A _silent_ blue bolt. "No... I..." He tried to speak as he collapsed.

"Sorry Macky." The other said quietly. "Can't let you do that." A small pistol was in his hand now. The other was trying to raise his Acrid, but the pistol in the standing man's hand jumped. Lis stared. It made no noise! The one called Macky fell, suddenly and completely still. The standing man jerked his head to Lis. "I am your contact. Third ship down on the left. Passphrase is 'Long Way Home'. Go." He knelt beside the still man, his pistol vanishing.

"Who _are_ you?" Lis demanded, not daring to move. For a long moment, the man did not look at her and when he did, his eyes were bleak.

"Gen H-12 didn't say who or what you are, just that you needed help. We are trained not to make wild assed guesses." The man said quietly as he dropped something small on the body at his feet and rose. "The Clergy sent us some orders to 'assist you'. Which we would have done anyway. Not every day a _legend_ asks for assistance for someone _else_ and _dies_. Ticking the Board off is just icing on the cake. All in a day's work for _us_."

"Corpus Special Forces..." Lis said, feeling faint. The man shrugged.

"Can neither confirm nor deny, Ma'am." The man said with a small, sad smile that was so like Gen H-12's had been. "This never happened and we were never here." He nodded as the body of the one he called Macky suddenly flared and vanished. "Go."

"No one was here." Lis agreed firmly. "But... for what it is worth? She was a good woman. A good _soldier_. She took a _bunch_ of them with her. _They_ won't forget her anytime soon." The man inclined his head to her, and then... he was _gone_. She looked around and the other forms were gone. No bodies, no _nothing_! She looked up and the _net_ was gone! No traces at _all_. Professionals. She shook her head, knowing she was under observation, but... comforted by that for some odd reason. "One less Black Ops bully boy and goon squad for Bek to misuse. Thank you."

There was no reply.

* * *

><p>Three ships down, Lis stopped. There was no one outside the small transport. It was Corpus in design, but ubiquitous. Pretty much a standard small transport. Even the Grineer used them occasionally. Not very often, but occasionally. Lis stopped at the entrance to the ship and spoke.<p>

"I was sent." She said slowly can clearly. She couldn't see anyone or anything, but her hackles were rising. Danger. "I was told the passphrase is 'Long Way Home'."

"How the _hell_ did they know that?" A harsh male voice sounded from inside. "Get in! Now." Lis stepped forward and was only slightly surprised when she was suddenly frozen in place, her limbs held in place by some kind of energy projector. "Don't move." The voice resolved into a human wearing combat armor. It was dyed red. The red and black rifle he held on her was well maintained. "Weapons?"

"Pistol, right pants pocket." Lis said quietly. "Sara?"

"What is Sara's sister's name?" The man demanded as hands that Lis could not see removed the Lex Prime pistol from her pocket. A whistle of awe came from somewhere. "And where did you get _that_?" The man sounded shaken now. A rumble was felt more than heard. The ship had taken off.

"It was a gift." Lis said quietly. "And if they _did_ brainscan me, then they _got_ Sara's sister's name. And a _lot_ more."

"What is Sara's sister's name?" The man pressed.

"Which _one_?" Lis retorted. "Sheila, Sierra or Mishka?"

"Lis!" A familiar voice sent a stab of pain through Lis as Sara barreled her way into view. "_Lis_!" She was crying.

"Sara, stay back!" Lis commanded and the girl froze halfway to her. A woman in red grabbed Sara and pulled her back. "I don't know what all they did to me. I hope you people can find out."

"We _can_." The man said quietly. "It won't be fun."

"Can't be as bad as what I just went through." Lis said with a sigh. But she smiled as Sara cursed, trying to free herself from the woman's arms. "Sara... calm down. I am okay."

"It will be okay."


	15. Chapter 15

**Traps**

Lis felt... good. The Red Veil medics were true to their team leader's word. It hadn't been pleasant, but Lis was free of any trackers or other unwanted hitchhikers. Her mind was her own. Sara lay snuggled against her, the girl's breathing soft and unhurried. She sighed as she brushed Sara's hair gently. The Red Veil didn't quite know what to do with Sara and Lis could relate. The girl was a handful. But now? Sara was asleep finally and with the somatic unit buzzing at her ear, she would stay that way. Lis... needed to get things done. She eased Sara off of her and covered the girl with the thin blanket that was all the bunk had. Not a lot of frills on a Corpus transport. She nodded to the operative at the door.

"I need to speak to your cell leader." Lis said quietly. "She will sleep for a while. Has she been giving you trouble?"

"Not so much trouble as insistent." The woman said with a shrug. "She has been a bit... insistent."

"_One_ word for it I bet." Lis said with a snort the other shared. "You stay with her?"

"My little girl would have been about her age." The guerilla woman said quietly. Lis froze and the woman shrugged. "Lots of stories. Most bad."

"Corpus or Grineer?" Lis asked, then shook her head. "Ah. Not my business, sorry."

"From what we scanned on you." The woman said quietly. "You understand what the Corpus do."

"It was one man's madness and need for vengeance." Lis said with a sigh as she moved to the door and the red armored woman moved to sit by Sara. "But... yes." She paused. "You were Corpus." It wasn't a question.

"That is why I am here." The other replied. "I... don't remember the automated reproduction facility. I woke up, after and things were different. The medics were kind, gentle. My little girl grew in a pod while I worked to provide for her and myself. Then she was there and... She was beautiful." She said with a small sob. Lis shook her head and the woman sighed. "It...really wasn't anyone's fault but the Grineer's. The facility was attacked. We ran. I got away. My daughter..."

"Didn't." Lis said, bowing her head. "You have my sympathy."

"I make them _hurt_. _All_ of them." The Red Veil operative said with a savage smile. "The Corpus wrote us off when our transport was disabled. They left us to die as unprofitable. The Red Veil... didn't. I am the only survivor from that facility, but I signed up as soon as I was asked. I patch people up and get to kill Grineer. It's enough."

"Beware vengeance." Lis said quietly. The other stared at her. "What you do is needed, but _beware_. You have a right to anger. I do as well. I _am_ angry. _So_ angry at what was done to _me_. But then I see Sara, remember her love. _Remember_ your girl, Ma'am. Do _not_ rush headlong to meet her in whatever life lies after this one. You and your compatriots are _needed_."

"My daughter doesn't need me anymore." The other woman wasn't arguing. Simply stating fact. "This is what I am. What I do. But... For just a moment, I can pretend... that your Sara is my Diane." She brushed Sara's cheek gently and Sara murmured in her sleep. "It helps. It has helped since she came aboard, all anger and fear. It took a while and more than a few bruises to calm her down. She is a good kid."

"Thank you." Lis said with firm gentleness. "If she had lost it... I... I don't know what I would have done. I _do_ know I do _not_ want to go and tell her mom I lost her. Either to enemies or to her own inner demons."

"From what various people have said..." The Red Veil woman said with a snort of her own. "I don't want this Serene person mad at me _either_. Did she _really_ trash a Corpus facility all by _herself_?" Lis shrugged. "Never mind. Sara is safe, you need to talk to Four." No names. If one _had_ to identify him or herself, they used numbers. Lis understood. Security kept these people alive.

Lis strode from the room and nodded to the guard nearby. He did not speak, did not lower his Latron Wraith rifle from firing position. She approved actually. Such vigilance was needed.

"I need to talk to Four." Lis said without moving. A tiny head jerk to one side and Lis started off, her minder following her weapon ready. He was too close, actually and she sighed. "Might want to back off a step or two. You are too close. At this range? If I want you dead, you _are_." The man jerked, but retreated.

Lis tried not to sigh. These Red Veil were... She was being harsh. They were not professionals like whoever the hell had taken out that black ops team, but obviously they were good at what they did or they wouldn't still be alive. And they were well motivated. That could be either good or bad. Good in that they would do whatever it took. Bad in that they might do _more_ because they could. She had seen both in Tenno in the past.

She shook herself. The past was past. Now she had to face the future. Namely getting Sara home to her mom and healing. Nothing else mattered. A door in front of her hissed open and Lis walked in to find the male who had accosted her at the ship hatch poring over a series of dataslates muttering.

"Problem?" Lis asked calmly as she took up station by the door. The operative guarding her moved to one wall.

"Maybe." The man didn't sound any happier now that his medics had vetted Lis. "Been trying to figure out how those guys got our passphrase. If our protocols are that easy to crack..." He trailed off and shrugged.

"Whoever my contact was..." Lis offered. "He was a professional. Crisp, clean. No wasted effort. No wasted movement. That black ops team never knew what killed them."

"Yeah, that colony was suddenly crawling with people who _tried_ to act like locals and failed miserably." The cell leader agreed. "Did he say or do anything else?"

"Started a bar fight to distract the people tailing me." Lis said with a shrug. The other stared at her and she cracked a smile. "Not... a normal way of dispensing with tails I take it?"

"Not that I know of. We usually just make them disappear." The man said with a sigh. "Then again, I am only responsible for this cell. Less than ten people." He didn't say how many, Lis noticed. She had seen four? Five? Not her business. "Problem is... you drew a lot of attention."

"Yeah." Lis agreed sourly. "Not my intention. But I did. Can I help?"

"You have." The Red Veil reassured her. "While you were checked, we took samples. Then we reprogrammed supply drones that took samples of your DNA, traces of your hair and skin to a _lot_ of other ships." Lis smiled evilly and the man did the same. "They dropped them off in easy to reach places and self destructed."

"Oh, those poor Black Ops scum. Having to search each and _every_ ship in that port. My heart _bleeds._" There had been _fifty_ ships that Lis had _seen_ in that dock. "I can hear the screams of frustration _already_."

"Your presence is masked. For now." The man said with a nod. "We will be switching transports in the near future." He paused. "We were told to drop you off." But he sounded... dubious.

"_Drop_...us?" Lis asked, concerned. "Not standard procedure, is that?"

"No." The cell leader said, worried. " Our orders were to keep tabs on the Grineer besieging the Corpus facilities. Usually if we _get_ a high profile passenger, we make like a hole in space for a time, let the hubbub die down. Then we ease out slow and careful. We _were_ scheduled for a transfer to another ship. That is set. Has been for a while. But this... feels wrong." He said with a shrug. "Not sure why. Every code is right, but if those guys had our current passphrase... those change daily."

"Not good." Lis said with a wince. "I mean, they _did_ keep me from blowing loud holes in several people. They did it quick, clean and quiet. The guy said _he_ was my contact. But..." She shook her head. "This spy stuff gives me a headache."

"Well, no one is following _us_." The cell leader said after a quick look at a screen nearby. "But my gut is screaming 'trap'."

"Protect your people." Lis said firmly. "Now that I have Sara, I will focus on protecting her."

"Begging your pardon, Ma'am..." Respect sounded in the leader's voice now. "We put you through a wringer. You need rest too. We have a run of at least twelve hours to where we are supposed to drop you. We need to follow the Corpus guide beacons and avoid patrols as best we can."

"I won't argue with that." Lis said with a smile as she stifled a yawn. She was exhausted. Mentally and physically. Vina and the others had enforced sleep on her, but her nightmares had limited her actual _rest_ time. "One thing... if I start screaming... Have someone throw something at me." Both the guard and the leader stared at her and Lis sighed. "Preferably not something sharp or pointed. But do _not_ touch me." She warned. "I broke several batons they used to prod me awake." Both men stood slack jawed. "You need every fighter. I... don't want to cost you any."

"What about Sara?" The leader asked after a moment. "If she hears you screaming, she will go to you."

"If you have a separate room, one you can soundproof...?" Lis didn't want to beg. But if she hurt Sara... it wouldn't be good for her, Sara _or_ Serene. "I was trained to meditate. I can rest that way. It is actually more restful than regular sleep and doesn't take as long."

"Any chance you could teach us to do that?" The leader was looking at her, his face as visible under his mask speculative. Lis shook her head. "Pity."

"You don't want to learn the way I did." Lis said with a small smile of remembrance. "My teacher had... odd notions occasionally. She taught me to do it while sitting in a running stream." Both men gasped at that and Lis smirked. "You got really good, _really_ fast under her tutelage. Or you got hypothermia and _died_."

"And I thought _my_ instructors were brutal..." The leader said weakly. "Ouch."

"That training saved my life more than once." Lis said with a shiver. She remembered getting caught in a Freeze pulse while running from the clan's dojo. The renegade Frost had been stunned when she had shattered her way out of the icy prison and slid away before he could summon any more power. "But not for everybody. One thing... Has Sara...acted oddly?"

"Oddly?" The leader sounded suspicious and Lis understood.

"Your medics are good." Lis said with a nod. "You can't have missed her DNA, warped as it is." It was...fairly distinctive even to an untrained person. The leader nodded slowly and Lis took a deep breath. "Tell me you didn't take samples."

"We did." The leader said after a moment. "That is why they want her?"

"I can't say why they want her." Lis temporized. "But her DNA is part of the reason. They think she is a key to a lock. One that should _never_ be opened. Please destroy those samples."

"We were hoping to find a way to help her." A new voice came from the side and another Red Veil stepped into view. One of the medics. The other was the woman who was staying with Sara. He shook his head. "She is a good kid. How... how old is she? Really?"

"She is three." Lis said quietly and nodded when the medic recoiled. "A good kid. We have tried. _Everyone_ has tried. Even... people with far, far better tech than the Corpus." All three of the Red Veil went still at that. Lis nodded. "All we can do is slow it down. Keep her calm, keep her comfortable. She tried to suicide and ran. That is how we wound up where we did. I won't let her." The deck plates of the ship should have bent under the Tenno's calm declaration. "Where there is life, there is hope and I will not let her fade from this existence without trying _everything_ I can."

"The call came in from the upper echelons. They said... The Lotus asked for our help. The _Lotus_..." The leader said slowly. "Usually calls for help go the _other_ way." He sighed. "Seven."

"Right, Four." The medic sounded shaken. "I will destroy the samples. Ma'am... You need rest."

"If I start screaming, don't touch me." Lis warned as she started for the door. "And for the love of _God_, don't let _Sara_ touch me."

"Then how do we wake you?" The guard was finally speaking. His voice was harsh from far more pain and fear than should have been crammed into a short human life.

"Throw something at me that won't hurt me. A boot, a helmet. Not a knife." Lis said with a smile as a door opened, showing an empty room. She knelt in the middle of it. "I thank you and your cell. I will be gone as quickly as I can. Hopefully the danger will follow me and leave you alone."

"Not in my experience, Ma'am." The guard said with a dark chuckle as the door shut. She knew he would be right outside. That thought... comforted her as she slid into meditation. But...

_Ah Lis..._ The voice was familiar. Lis went still as a golden holo appeared in front of her. The Banshee wore no helmet. _Always the hard way, little Lis. _Lis tried to break the meditation and couldn't. _Uh, uh..._ the Banshee wagged a finger at her. _Not until we talk._

_I have nothing to say to you, Leanna. _Lis snapped and paused. She hadn't wanted to be that angry. She was...angry with Leanna. But... No, this was her recent hurt and fear. Not what the Banshee had done. She sighed. _I... apologize Grand Master Leanna. I am... out of sorts._

_Yeah you are._ The shade of Lis first Tenno instructor said mildly. _Be glad there is no stream here or I would have you doing sit-ups for a while._ But her tone... it wasn't the dry biting humor that Lis had known and loathed. No... This was a tone of understanding. _Complete_ understanding. The Banshee shook her head. _Do you think you are the only one who was ever violated like that, Lis?_ Lis eyes went huge as she saw tears start to fall from the rock hard Banshee's eyes. _I am sorry Lis. I am so sorry._

_You... _Lis felt her world suddenly crumple around her. _I... No... You are the strongest person I ever __**met**__! You... I FAILED YOU!_ She screamed.

_No, you didn't Lis._ Grand Master Leanna said quietly. _No, you didn't. If __**anyone**__ failed __**anyone**__ then __**I**__ failed __**you**__. I was your instructor, your teacher. I tried to keep you from Nicholas. I knew he was bad. No idea __**how**__ bad. I knew you had a crush on Karl. But I never expected what happened._

_No one could have. _Lis said sadly. _What do I do? Sara is falling apart. I don't know this spy stuff. I can't get her away from them. They think it's a trap and..._ She paused. Had Leanna just slapped her? The holo's arm was retracting but there had been no actual impact. She... bowed her head as if there had been. _Instruct me, Master._

_I knew I taught you better than that._ Leanna said with a small smile. Then her tone hardened. _You are not human anymore, Lis. Stop thinking human. These humans are strong. Numerous and strong. But they have __**no**__ idea what they face. What __**you**__ are. Lis. Tenno. Sister._

_I... _Lis paused and then she bowed further, accepting the rebuke. _I am sorry, Grand Master Leanna. I do not understand._

_You will. _The ancient shade was fading now. _Come home, dear sister. You will find what you need there._

"Home?" Lis paused and then shook herself out of her meditation. She felt... refreshed. As if she had done the exercises that Grand Master Leanna had required of her every morning in the streams of that small moon of... Lis froze and then she was on her feet and at the door. The guard jerked his rifle aimed at her, but she shook her head. "Where are we going? Which moon of Neptune?"

"How do you know that?" The guard demanded suspiciously. "We never told you!"

"It is Larissa, isn't it!" She demanded. The guard just stared at her. "Take me to your leader! You _are_ flying into a trap!"

This was hard. Sara had woken, full of bubbling energy. Lis could feel the girl's confusion, but her exultation as well. Power was singing in Sara now. Familiar power. Power the girl had no idea how to control. Lis dampened it out of pure reflex. They needed to be careful now.

"No one to meet us?" Sara asked after a moment. The Red Veil ship lifted off behind them, off to switch ships. Lis hoped and prayed that the resistance fighters would get clear. She had no idea what was about to happen, but something was. Something bad.

But the place... the landmarks were changed. The stream was... not where Lis remembered. But it felt...familiar. The large stone statue that stood nearby had lasted, if a bit worn. A winged angel. Lis had spent two years here, under that angel's wings. Studying. Training. _Cursing_ the old woman who was her bane. Her instructor. Her mentor. Her Master.

"Hello Lis, Sara." A woman in red stepped out of the shadows. "Good to meet you. My name is Cantis. I can help you both. Please let me." She held out a hand. Lis... stared around. This...wasn't right. She was on edge... something...

Sara started for Cantis, but went down as Lis jerked her, _hard_. Lis fell on top of Sara as gunfire sounded and the woman in red fell.


	16. Chapter 16

**Choices**

"No!" Sara screamed, but Lis wouldn't let her move.

"Sara, _stay down!_" Lis commanded as Sara tried to squirm out from under her. None of the shooters had landed shots anywhere near the pair of them, but it was clear that everyone who was firing did have targets. The screams and sudden silences said that whoever was being hit was not going to escape. The people firing were precise and _merciless_. The weapons were a mix. Some energy, some projectile. But that wasn't what worried Lis the most.

Sara's power was growing. She _had_ teleported, back when this mess had started. She had tapped the energy that Tenno knew so well. What Tenno _were_. They were more than human. But it wasn't anything physical. The physical forms were just as frail as humans at times. As Lis had demonstrated far too many times in her memory. Warframes added a layer of armor, but in the end, Tenno were not _just_ the physical forms. If they were, then every time that physical form failed, they would die. They didn't. She didn't pretend to understand the mechanics. But that had allowed Lis to recover from what in a human would have been a terminal brain injury. That energy was flowing freely through Sara now. And frankly? Lis was scared.

Sara was good. Her trainers had been very good. But... she wasn't fully Tenno. She wasn't trained. She was only _three_ years old for goodness sakes. She literally _inhaled_ information and learned faster than even Lis had. But...

Lis had learned survival from a _very_ early age. The training she had received from Grand Master Leanna had been exhaustive and brutal. But... it had only built upon what had already been there. Lis had known how to fight. Which end of a knife cut and which to hold. She had known which end of a firearm bullets came out of. She had needed polish, sure. Training was rarely a bad thing. But Lis had known from her earliest memories the single most important lesson that Master Leanna taught her students. How to survive. How to channel the energy within oneself to do wonders or horrors. Lis had been full human, but her constant need to fight to survive had polished her core to a level that even some Tenno apparently had _envied_ if Lilly's reaction on finding out had been _anything_ to go by.

Sara... didn't have that. But she had something almost as good. She had _Lis_.

"Sara, _listen_ to me." Lis hissed as the gunfire slowly petered out. A short sharp scream came from somewhere nearby but she ignored it as she held Sara's squirming form down. "I need you to _focus_. I need you to see the hall in your mind. See it dark. Sara. See it _dark!_" She pressed as she saw power leaking out of Sara's hands. Sara stared at her hands, terrified.

"Lis, what is happening to me!" Sara begged. Her tone small as the glow increased. "What did they _do_ to me?" She begged.

"They didn't, Sara." Lis said quietly, still not moving as dark forms appeared all around. At least half a dozen forms in armor were moving, searching. But not red. Greens predominated. A few shots here and there heralded the end of whoever had been ambushed. "This is from you. From _inside_ you. You are in control, Sara. You can do it." Lis wasn't so sure, but... she could help. She focused herself, seeing Sara struggling with the wash of power that erupted from her emotions. She eased herself into it. Pain erupted behind Lis' eyes, but she was no stranger to such. Sara needed her, so Lis held the girl the proper way to surf the flow of power instead of being swept away by it. "Be... as ... water." She turned Sara's head to the nearby stream. "Sara.. see the water. Don't fight the power within you. If you _fight_ it, it will only grow stronger, the pressure within you. Let it flow... Like the water. That's it..." Lis breathed as Sara relaxed slowly. The glow... winked out. "That's it. _Good_ girl." Lis said with a smile as she ruffled Sara's hair. But her other hand was on her Lex Prime.

"Um... Am I interrupting?" A human in armor stood nearby. A tall, rough man. Accustomed to battle and commanding battles from his looks. His blue-green armor looked vaguely Corpus. Not...quite. Or... not _anymore_. He had a pair of holsters on his hips and other weapons stuck in various places. A Prova that was more blueish green than normal Corpus issue hung from his hand. "Whoa!" He stepped back with empty hands upraised as Lis' Lex Prime came up to cover him. "A little appreciation might not be amiss here, Ma'am."

"If I knew who you were and could _trust_ you, maybe." Lis said sourly. "Then again, you _shot_ our contact. Mind telling me why you just shot Cantis? Considering I was supposed to meet Red Veil here, you shooting a woman in red armor who called herself Cantis does _not_ inspire trust."

"_Cantis?_" The man asked then he laughed sourly. "This?" He kicked the still woman's corpse. "_This_ ain't Cantis. She was _way_ too nice to you to be Cantis." He shook his head. "Cantis would have just grabbed the girl and run. To hell with her feelings. Feelings are generally irrelevant to that crazy woman. Feelings can be fixed. Dead? Not so much."

"And I am supposed to believe you?" Lis demanded, her aim not wavering.

"You can believe anything you want, Ma'am. We ain't the Corpus. Not anymore anyway." The other said with a shrug. "Name's Zhon. Was told your name is Lis and she is Sara. We got here two hours ago and set up just as these imposters arrived." He shook his head. "Someone has been loose with the com protocols. Gonna be hell to pay. I don't want to be anywhere nearby when Cantis finds out who sold us out." He shuddered a little. "That girl's got a hell of a temper."

Lis dared a quick glance around. Several forms in greenish armor were pulling forms in red armor from cover, checking each and in one case, slitting a throat. They... didn't look like Corpus. Their weapons were a mix. Some Grineer tech. Some Corpus tech. One beefy male had a long polearm thing Lis had never seen before. None were aiming at her or Sara, but...

"So who were they?" Lis demanded. "I see red armor. I see green armor. I don't know you."

"Them? Another Corpus Black Ops team. Seem to be coming out of the woodwork. But... I think this is for you." Zhon dropped a small thing in the dust near Lis and stepped back. Lis stared at it. A tiny piece of plasfilm. On it, a familiar symbol was visible. A Lotus.

_Lotus?_ Lis nearly begged. The response was immediate.

_This situation is very complex, Tenno Lis._ The voice of the Lotus was calm and serene as always. _The man standing in front of you is a member of the Vandals. An offshoot of the Red Veil. Corpus renegades for the most part. He is what he seems. Tenno Lis, Sara... is she...?_ Now the Lotus sounded worried.

_She is manifesting. Untrained, uncontrolled._ Was it Lis' imagination that the Lotus inhaled in shock and worry? Had to be._ I can help her._ _But... it won't be quick._

_We have backup standing by as well as your warframe. _The Lotus said quietly. _Do what you must. But...those humans... are not cleared for such secrets._

_They would not be able to handle them. _Lis agreed. _I will be in touch. _She shook her head and slowly lowered her pistol. "Zhon?" She asked and the man nodded, his expression cautious. "Your bona fides check out. Now I need to ask you to leave."

"_Leave_?" The man asked, his expression humorous but... not. "Is that some kind of _joke_? _You_ have some kind of direct access to the Lotus. _She_ was _glowing_." Sara wilted under Lis and Lis shook her head. "I don't know _what_ you are, but... There is no way in _hell_ I am leaving you both here. If the Corpus don't get you, the Grineer _will_. We are not in the habit of handing our enemies powerful weapons. Doesn't work out so well for us in the long run, you see."

"You do not know what you are getting into." Lis said as she rose and held out a hand for Sara to pull herself up. "Frankly? You do not _want_ to know."

"I have seen a lot that I don't want to know." Zhon said, crossing his arms. "My orders were to get here, make sure the area was secure and drop that off..." He nodded to the piece of plasfilm that was now slowly decaying as Lis watched. No evidence would remain. "No one said anything about you talking directly to the Lotus. Or _her_ glowing."

"Don't push me, Vandal Zhon." Lis said quietly. "You will not like how that ends if you do."

"Do you have _any_ idea what the others would do to me if I left someone who could talk directly to the Lotus to the _Corpus_? Or the Grineer?" The man actually shuddered. "It takes us _hours_ to get through and none of us are ever sure our messages are received." Then he froze. Lis did as well. Sara stared down at her hands and gulped. They were glowing again. "And then... _that_." The man said dryly. He shook his head. "What _is_ that? That is not showing upon any scanners. But my hackles are going up. _Way_ up."

"That is because your hackles are _smart_." Lis said quietly. "Sara, sieza. Now." She indicated a space near the statue and Sara sank into a kneeling posture gratefully. She focused on her breathing and the glow faded. It wouldn't last, Lis knew. The pressures were building, far, far faster than a normal person's -even a normal Tenno's- energy would. But then again, Sara was far, far from _normal_. Lis sighed. She didn't have time for arguing. "At least keep the clearing empty. Less chance of one of your people being disintegrated by a rogue wave of energy."

"_Dis_**int**egrated...?" Zhon asked carefully, his eyes on Sara.

"_Don't_ get any ideas." Lis said sharply. "She cannot control it. That is why I am here. To teach her how to. She is not a Warrior, Vandal Zhon. She is not like you _or_ me. If you try to _make_ her one, we will fight and you will _die_." No threat this. A promise.

"I have a dozen fighters with me." Zhon said, but he didn't sound as confident.

"Eighteen." Lis corrected absently. She had been counting human shaped shadows. Not all had moved, but all the ones she counted had weapon shapes sticking out. Zhon froze and Lis smiled. It was _not_ a nice smile. "You are not the only predator here, Vandal Zhon. Do not push me. You will not like what happens."

"How the _hell_...?" Zhon asked, his hand moving towards his holsters. Lis did not move. "Most of my people haven't moved! Nothing human could have... seen..." He trailed off and went completely still as the shadows Lis could see all froze. "Oh shit..."

"No one ever said I was human." Lis said as she knelt in front of Sara. "Now... if you _don't_ mind? I have a little girl to help." Part of her awareness was on the human who stood for a moment before retreating, his eyes on her. Most of it was on Sara who was quivering. _Sara... Easy..._

_L... Lis...? _Sara's mental voice was small and timid. _I... I can't... I don't know what this is..._

_Tenno are energy, Sara. _Lis said quietly. _**All**__ things are. Organic or synthetic, sentient or non, it is all the same at the smallest possible level. Atoms spinning across tiny spaces leave energy in their wake. Humans see in such limited ways. They see with eyes that can only see a minute portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and __**think**__ that what they see is __**all**__ that exists. You know better. You have seen Healer Iriana work._

_I... have. _Sara said, calming. _But she never __**glows!**_ The girl protested.

_You have never __**seen**__ her glow._ Lis corrected Sara who went still. _That doesn't means she can't or doesn't. Tenno are energy, Sara. The physical form is a shell. A shell we can transcend with skill and patience. It is not easy. _She said dryly.

_Nothing worthwhile ever is._ Sara said with a world weary wisdom that was far, far too old sounding to come from such a young girl. _What do I do?_

_You need to choose, Sara. _Lis said quietly. _A Tenno child would have been trained from early on what to do and when. How to do it. Meditations help a great deal, but __**actual**__ practice is needed as well. You cannot learn everything from a meditation just as you cannot learn everything from a book. You need to practice. And then... you need to choose._

_Choose what? _Sara nearly begged. _I can... feel.. Help..._ Now she was begging as her form erupted in energy again.

_Easy, Sara._ Lis said as she pushed her own consciousness closer to Sara's. _It won't hurt you. It can't. It is __**part**__ of you. It is scary, I know. I was right here where we are when __**I**__ saw it the first time. I am bit nicer than Leanna was about though. _She chuckled a bit ruefully. _I think I startled her._

_Ya __**think**__? _ Both Sara and Lis went still as a third form appeared nearby. The white Banshee warframe knelt in seiza and shook her head. _So bright and so __**clueless**__. I despaired a bunch of times about you, Lis._

_Don't scare the kid, Leanna._ Lis snapped. _She is not your student._

_No._ The white Banshee said calmly. _She is __**yours**__. _Lis went still and the Banshee laughed sourly. _Did you really think I just __**let**__ you go? That I just __**ignored**__ everything that happened? You were my chosen __**successor**__, Lis! I wasn't going to let that scum take you and destroy you to breed renegades for him!_

_You... _Lis said slowly. _**You**__ put the Void Key in my cell. Let me get to my warframe. Let me escape Nicholas. But... That... You couldn't __**do**__ that! _The Banshee did not reply, instead, she looked at Sara.

_Child Sara, for child you are._ Leanna's voice, for once, was tender. _Your choice awaits you. Lis __**does**__ know what she is talking about. When she gets her head out of the mud anyway._

_Why thank you. _Lis said in a tone that might have dried an ocean. _I think that is the nicest thing you have ever said to me._

_Would you have __**listened**__ to gentle platitudes or __**harp music**__? _The Banshee demanded and Sara snickered at Lis' gasp. _Lis, I taught __**thousands**__ of students. All were as stubborn as Tenno always have been. But you... __**you**__ had the spark. Out of __**all**__ of the students that Nikis taught, __**I**__ was the only one he ever felt was right for a teacher. And now? I can tell you, that you are the __**only**__ student I ever taught who I felt the same way about. _Lis froze, choking on her instant retort and the Banshee nodded. _It is a horrible burden and a wonderful joy. You will laugh and __**scream**__ in equal measure, dear Lis. You will want to beat your head against the wall until your skull caves in and then... You will feel such joy when the light finally dawns and the student goes 'Oh... That way' and finally stops being __**stupid!**_

_I... _Lis swallowed. _I...don't..._

_We will have time to talk. _The white Banshee said quietly. _For now? Sara needs help. She is your student. I will advise. No more. _Lis stared at the Banshee and shook her head slowly. Leanna spoke more sharply. _Get to it. You don't have all day._ Lis shook herself and nodded.

_Sara... _Lis said quietly. _Tenno are energy. You... are energy. The power within you is growing. But now? You have a choice. You do not have to make it now, this moment, but you __**will**__ have to make it._

_What choice? _Sara asked, her tone soft and scared.

_Sara, any craftsman, be they human or Tenno, from the dawn of time, has used his or her inner core of artistry to fulfill their craft._ Lis said with a glance at the Banshee who nodded. _A primitive hunter/gatherer knapping a flint knife is no different in that regard to a contemporary worker using nanotech to extract minerals from ore. To be good at what they do, they have to __**feel**__ what they do. They have to... flow with what they do. __**Anyone**__ can do it. But a true craftsman or crafts-woman?_

_I..._ Sara paused and then nodded a little. _Yes. I have seen Iriana at work. She...feels. It is not just mechanics to her._

_A very good example._ Lis agreed. _But to your choice. You can choose to use this power or not. Carefully. You have used it unconsciously. You teleported when you ran from me. _Sara jerked and Lis nodded. _You never realized, did you?_

_No. _Sara said weakly. _I didn't mean to._

_I know._ Lis said gently. _Just as I didn't mean to use it to trap Karl under a ton of metal._ Sara's eyes went huge and Lis chuckled ruefully. _I had no idea I was manipulating magnetic fields. Just that I needed to move the metal._

_You always were a little dense. _The Banshee interjected and Lis glared at her. _You were. Don't try and deny it. _Sara had to chuckle at that.

_Sara..._ Lis said quietly. _I can dampen your power. Allow you to decide what to do and how. Give you the chance to decide. You don't want to be a Warrior and frankly... I don't want you to be one either. This life is not..._

Whatever else she was going to say was cut off but a stunning impact that threw her aside and right out of her meditation. She stared down at the _huge_ hole that gaped in her stomach. Then up at the Grineer Marines who were closing in on the clearing.

_No... __**Not now!**_

* * *

><p><strong>((A BIG thank you to HappyApathy for letting me 'borrow' his character Zhon))<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**That... qualifies as an 'Oops'**

Lis could do nothing but watch as the Grineer approached. This wound was far worse than the one that Sara had inflicted. Deeper for one thing. She felt... numb across much of her back. Not good. And worse? There were _lots_ of Grineer. Lis could see at least twenty of them just in her field of view. More movement where she could barely see.

_Sara..._ Lis begged. The girl did not move, still caught up in her meditation. She wasn't glowing now. _No._

But the approaching Grineer... didn't fire. Instead, two of them moved to flank the girl and Lis' eyes went huge as a cage of some kind flared into being between them. Surrounding Sara in green and red bars. Another Grineer, a female, stepped up with a scanner in hand. Lis understood her, somewhat.

"Visual oddity located." The clone woman said calmly. "Human... and... _not_ human. Orders?" She sounded... mildly interested. She paused and then spoke again. "Roger. Take this one for sampling and processing. We will test the DNA once the form has been rendered down on the ship." Lis jerked and tried to move, but couldn't. The Grineer did not even look at Lis but the sniff of derision made her attention clear. "Kill the base."

Lis was begging silently as the two Lancers lifted the cage with Sara's still form in it. She watched as it moved out of her sight and then a pair of large muzzles eclipsed her view.

"Pathetic." The Trooper said as he took aim at her face with his Sobek.

"_VANDALS!_"

The shout came from everywhere and Lis' eyes went huge as the Trooper who had been menacing her was thrown backwards. A loud report followed the clone's death. Sniper rifle. The rapid sounds of gunfire came from all around. The Grineer deployed in a combat formation.

"Team six!" The Heavy Gunner commanded. "Sniper team and two fire teams. Neutralize that sniper! Team Nine, flank left! Combat Formation Sierra! Go!" The female Grineer's Gorgon came down into firing position and started to spool up.

No one was looking at Lis. She eased one hand to her side. The other...wasn't working. No one saw as her hand came up and clicked the safety off of her Lex Prime. At this range? She would only get one shot. She couldn't miss. She focused on the sight picture as she had been taught by many, many instructors, lining the pistol up carefully, the front blade of the sight aligned with the back blades, perfectly silhouetting the back of the Heavy Gunner's head. The weaker rear body armor beneath the lip of the Grineer's helmet. Any armor had tradeoffs if the wearer was supposed to be able to _move_ and the Grineer were no different. And after all, how many enemies got _close_ enough to target that tiny weak spot?

"Bombard-" The Gunner started to command and then her voice choked off as Lis' pistol fired. The powerful round, even unmodded, did as designed.

_Everything_ seemed to stop as the Grineer field commander went down, her helmet flying off in two pieces, her hands flying to the ruin that was left of the back of her head. Then she fell and was still. _All_ the Grineer turned to where Lis was collapsing, her pistol falling beside her.

"_Kill the base!_" The words came from several clone throats and several weapons turned to Lis, but others had taken advantage of her silencing the commander.

"_Vandals! Vandals!_" Many, many human throats shouted as one and fire came in from all around, sweeping away clones with abandon. Lis saw a Bombard cut down by the huge human with the polearm and then things went black.

"We can't _stay_ here, Zhon!" The loud voice that pulled Lis out of unconsciousness was familiar. _Horatius from the colony_? Lis managed to force her eyes open and quailed as she saw two humans kneeling beside her. _Both_ wore blue-green armor. "There are too _many_ of them!" Lis tried to exclaim but no sound came out. Why was the _Corpus Special Forces soldier_ using a Braton _Vandal_?

"I am not _leaving_ her!" Zhon snapped right back. "She was protecting the kid...whoever.. ._what_ever she is... she was helping that kid! I ain't leaving her! Medic!"

"Sir, if we move her, she dies." A scared voice came from nearby and Lis stared at a young man in green armor. He looked... familiar. Then it clicked. Oleg. From the Orphanage? Holding a pistol awkwardly? Shooting at Grineer? What the _hell_? "The shot hit her spine. I can't help her. Not _here_!"

Lis felt...calm descend. They couldn't. But she knew someone who _could_. Or..._several_ someones.

_Lotus._ She said softly. _Ambush. Grineer. The Vandals are trying to hold them off. They will be overwhelmed._

_Tenno Lis..._ The Lotus said softly. _You are injured. How badly?_

_I do not know. _Lis admitted. _No diagnostics in the flesh form. _She said with dry humorless amusement. _I heard a medic say it hit my spine. Send the warframe please._

_Tenno Lis... _The Lotus sounded horrified now. _If you bond to a warframe __**injured**__..._

_I know. _Lis said softly. _I have no choice. The Grineer took Sara. They said... they would process her. Render her down. I can't allow that._

_Backup is preparing as we speak, but..._ The Lotus sounded anguished. _Tenno if you bond to a warframe while injured, your wounds will never __**heal**__!_

_I know._ Lis said softly. Warframes were designed to maintain the wearer in a perpetual stasis of sorts. A status quo. If the person was -as normal- in perfect health, then all well and good. If not? Any attempt to heal the wounds while outside of the warframe would be undone _by_ the warframe as soon as she reentered it. _To save Sara? I accept this. Please Lotus... Hurry... _She begged as pain erupted in her lower body.

_Inbound in five..._ The Lotus said, her tone hardening. _Serene is coming._

_No. _Lis said weakly. _Rocky and Mishka need her... Sara will need her... She..._

_She insists. _The Lotus said sternly. _And __**I **__am not stupid enough to argue. You should know by now that arguing with Serene doesn't work. Get the humans away from the portal if you can. Four minutes twenty seconds. _The mental link... clicked off with a sad caress of Lis' mind.

"Get back..." Lis managed to croak out.

"Ma'am? Lis? Don't move!" Oleg snapped as he crouched beside her. "You are hit bad. I can stabilize, but not while... Ah!" He screamed as a bullet hit him. He jerked around and ducked as more bullets tore through where he had been. "Damn! Too many!" He fired with one hand and slapped a bandage over a hole in his armor with the other. Then his free hand was back on her, doing something.

"Get _away_ from the statue!" Lis begged. "Portal. Tell Zhon... Portal..."

"We are _under_ the statue!" Oleg snapped. "I can't move you without killing you and Grineer are _everywhere_!"

"Take my hand." Lis said as forcefully as she could. She held out a hand to the boy who was far too rapidly becoming a man. He took it in an iron grip. "Everyone else...away. Hurry. Three... three minutes... maybe..."

"Three minutes until _what?_" A familiar sour voice snapped and Lis smiled as Zhon slid into view. "Dumb kid, keep your head _down_!" The brusqueness almost hid the affection and worry. Almost.

"Called... help..." Lis managed to gasp out. "Portal. Will activate. Get... _clear_..."

"A portal?" Zhon glanced around wildly. "Here?"

"Under statue. Coming." Lis said softly. "I can... protect _one_. No more. Fall back. Please." She begged. "Don't die... for me... You are human. I am... _not_. Not anymore."

"Oleg!" Zhon snapped.

"If I leave her, she dies." The medic said sharply. "I am _not_. She saved _us_, I save _her_."

"Stupid stubborn kid. All right. _Be_ a hero." Zhon said with a sigh. He fired his pistols and then shook his head. His commands carried easily over the roar of the battlefield. "Vandals! Fall back!" His voice was husky with emotion. "Second squad, cover fire!" The area erupted in shots and screams of Grineer. "First squad! Get to cover at the treeline and cover the rest as they withdraw! Third squad, keep the flankers away or we are _toast_. _Anyone_ who can't run gets carried! Oleg has demanded to pay a debt of honor. We leave no one _else_ behind! _Who are we?_" He screamed as he rose, his Blue-Green Twin Gremlins firing almost nonstop.

_**"Vandals!"**_ The battlecry was equal parts terror and pain, but also rage.

Oleg seemed to burrow down beside Lis as bullets hit all around. None seemed to hit him and Lis felt nothing. That... wasn't really a good sign.

"The kids?" Lis managed as Oleg did something that made her woozy for a moment.

"I don't know." Oleg said softly, his hands flying as he worked. "The Vandals needed a medic and I wanted some payback for Gen H-12. I... had no idea..."

"No way for you to." Lis said gently. "You are a good kid. Don't... don't lose who.. and what you are... or you wind up like me and so many others... lost. Broken."

"I..." Oleg seemed at a loss for words. "You and Gen were both so good... I didn't... I didn't understand."

"I know." Lis said then pulled him down closer to the ground as brutish forms in green armor swarmed nearby. "Don't move!" She hissed in his ear as she knocked the pistol from his hand.

"What the hell are those stupid bases fighting so hard for?" A harsh Grineer voice sounded from nearby. "There is nothing _here_! Just two bases! Silly _humans_... I will never understand them. Ah!" The voice gave a shout as fire came in from somewhere. "_Flank_ them! Someone get _around_ them!" The screech of a com came and the voice snapped. "I don't _care_ how many you lose! That is what we are _for_! Take them _out_. I will try to figure out why they fought so hard." An armored boot nudged Lis and she tried not to react. "Dead? Or nearly dead? No matter. You! Human! Why fight when you cannot win?" Oleg grunted and Lis winced as he was pulled away from her. The sound of someone spitting was followed by a blow and a warm mass fell beside Lis. "Dumb base. I just cleaned that armor! Now I have soiled it with base blood again. Why? Why fight so hard? What did you hope to gain here? You are not those silly Corpus. No, you have some courage. You do not hide behind your machines like they do. So why?"

"You will never understand, Grineer." Oleg's voice was weak. Injured? Dying? Lis couldn't move. "Never."

"We will have it out of you." The Grineer said sharply. "A few hours of interrogation and you will beg to tell us everything we want to know. Your kind always break so easily." The clone chuckled. "Pity the commanders will want you. I like breaking humans."

"Yeah, I bet you do." Oleg replied. "But of course, they have to be broken by someone else first, or you might bruise your weak knuckles on them." A growl sounded from the Grineer and the sound of bones breaking came to Lis' horrified ears. Oleg laughed, but the sound was filled with pain "Weak."

"I will show you weak, base!" The Grineer snapped, but then paused as Lis started to laugh. She could see the statue over her starting to glow. "What? Not dead yet. Tough human." The clone said mused. "What is so funny, tough human?"

"You." Lis said with a snort. "Oleg... you ever sing?"

"_What_?" Oleg asked and then sighed. "Ah... No crazier than anything else you have done since I saw you. Not for a long time. My mom... sang. I don't... anymore." The Gineer sputtered, but Lis ignored the clone. Not a problem. Or at least... not for much _longer_...

"Will you sing with me?" Lis asked as the statue over her head glowed stronger. In moments even Grineer would be able to see it. So... a distraction. "It starts..."She focused herself ans started to sing.

"'Axes flash... Broadswords swing... shining armor's piercing ring... Horses run with a polished shield... fight those bastards till they yield.'" Pain flared inside Lis, but she kept singing. She reached out blindly and found a human hand. It clasped hers tight. "'Midnight mare... blood red roan... _fight to keep this land your own... __**sound the horn and call the cry!**_ HOW MANY OF **THEM** CAN WE MAKE **DIE**?'" She pulled Oleg close as energy flared from the statue, shielding him from the energy discharge wither own inner core of power.

When Lis could see again, she lay in the midst of a _large_ field of _ash_. All that remained of the Grineer who had been in the clearing. Firing in the distance showed that the Vandals still lived and fought. But...

Lis and Oleg were not alone.

Oleg gasped as a golden form leaned down over him, but green mist fell and he sighed, instantly asleep. Lis stared up at the Trinity Prime who posture was horrified. She shook her head, but Lis snarled. Two other golden forms stood nearby. An Ash Prime and a _Nova_ Prime. The Nova held the Glaive that Lis knew was Lilly's and the Ash? A skana in one hand and a Lato in the other. But it was the _other_ form that had Lis freezing in equal parts anticipation and dread. The _night black Banshee_. Serene held a Paris bow at half extension, an arrow nocked and ready.

Shouts came from nearby. The Grineer were regrouping. The three warframes split up. Lilly to one side Guiscard to the other and Serene in the middle. Then _Serene_ began to sing. Her voice was beautiful. And _horrible_. Lovely. And _deadly_. At regular intervals, she loosed an arrow, drawing, nocking and releasing in time with her singing. _Continuing_ the ancient battle song.

"Follow orders as you're told, Make Their Yellow Blood Run **Cold!** Fight until you die or **drop**, _A Force Like Ours is Hard to Stop!_ Close your mind to stress and **pain**, _Fight till You're No Longer Sane!_ Let not one damn cur pass **by**, _How Many of __**Them**__ Can We Make __**Die!**_"

The Banshee strode forward, her bowstring singing in an eerie harmony with her voice. Guiscard fired every so often, his shots _in time with the singing! _Lilly threw her glaive and an explosion sounded. _**It**__ punctuated the singing!_

"Holy..." Lis gasped. "Don't... Don't tick off Serene..." She chuckled and gasped as pain came.

"Sister..." The Trinity begged her. "Don't... We are here. We can help."

"My duty, sister." Lis said softly. "I need..." The Trinity sighed and then something was beside Lis. A long oblong pod. Lis touched it with her good hand and it spilt open. A pristine golden warframe lay within, its face down. "Humans... hurt... go. Please?" She begged as she rolled herself awkwardly on top of the frame which split under her. She was sinking into it. It would form around her, ease her access into it. The first time anyway. "Please." Lis begged as the helmet sealed up over her face. "I... accept this."

Then she could hear nothing. See nothing. She braced herself. It was all she could do.

* * *

><p><strong>Not far away<strong>

The female scream silenced everything. For a long moment, even the Grineer were stunned by the sheer horror of that agonized wail. The Vandals too were horrified. No one knew where it had come from, but they could guess. Then it...ended. Just cut off with dreadful finality.

"KILL THEM ALL!" The shout went up and the Vandals' fire redoubled. But they were being pushed back. Away from their small ship, away from any possibility of...

**BOOM!**

More than one set of human eyes went huge as almost _half_ the line of Grineer who had been pushing them further and _further_ away from the clearing with the statue suddenly _evaporated_. There was no other word that did it justice. _One_ moment, there were over two hundred clones pushing forward, their armor deflecting much of the fire that the humans sent their way and ignoring the fallen of their kind as they stepped forward, intent on the destruction of the insane blue-green armored humans who had proven so tenacious. Then... there were just over _one_ hundred of them. And striding _into_ the gaping hole that had been _torn_ in the Grineer line...

_Everything_... stopped.

Two golden humanoid forms and one black walked calmly into the midst of the frozen Grineer assault and stood there. Waiting. They didn't have to wait long.

"Tenno skuum!" The Lancer who cried that went down as a whirling blade neatly decapitating him and three others near him. But what happened next... Was impossible. Tenno did not speak. They did not _sing! All_ eyes went to the black armored form who stood, a oddly shaped bow drawn in hand. _Singing_. The voice was eerie... horrifying.

"Guard your women and children **well**, _Send These Bastards Back to __**Hell**__!_ We'll teach them the ways of **war**, _They Won't Come Here Any __**More**__!_ Use your shield and use your **head**, _Fight till Every One is __**Dead**__!_ Raise the flag up to the **sky**, _How Many of Them Can We Make __**Die**__!_"

At each heavily enunciated word, the Tenno loosed an arrow. Each time, a Grineer screamed in mortal agony as the meter long metal rod pierced through armor and flesh with equal ease. Other clones moved to counterattack, but by then? It was far, far too late. The _other_ Tenno were in motion.

One golden form vanished and reappeared in puffs of smoke. Grineer flailed helplessly, tossed into the air or cut in half by form that blinked and vanished again and again. But it was the other that was frankly confusing. She just stood and then... her hand arced as if she had thrown... something. A tiny blob of...something... flew into the midst of a group of about _thirty_ Grineer who had clustered away from the arrows that were still flying in time with the song. A massive explosion fountained in the middle of that group and when the dust cleared? _One_ Grineer was still alive. Sort of. An arrow ended his tortured existence. Then the non-singing female Tenno had a _saw blade_ in hand and was dancing into the Grineer ranks, triple blades flashing. Eerie white trails of light arced around her as she danced _to the music_!

"Dawn has broke, time has **come**, _Move Your Feet to a Marching __**Drum**__! _We'll win the **war** and pay the **toll**, _Fight as One in Heart and __**Soul**__! _Midnight mare, blood red **roan**, _Fight to Keep this Land Your __**Own**__!_  
>Sound the horn, call the <strong>cry<strong>, _How Many of __**Them**__ Can We Make __**Die**__!_"

"How many of **them** can we make _**DIE**__!_"

"How many of **them** can we make _**DIE**__!_"

"How many of **them** can we make _**DIE**__!_"

"_Holy_ _profit_..." Zhon was stunned into using the old and hated Corpus benediction as he stared down at the Tenno as they _tore_ into the Grineer. So many clones. _None_ had even the slightest _chance_.

"You think they need our help?" His second in command asked softly. Maybe she didn't want to draw the bio-armed lunatics' attention either. Couldn't really _blame_ her.

"No." Zhon said weakly. "And I don't want them mad at _me_."

* * *

><p><strong>((Another big thank you to HappyApathy for letting me use Zhon))<strong>

**((The March of Cambreadth is owned by Seafire Productions, written and published by James Alexander. NOT my work, but used with permission. Yes, I asked because it is just TOO awesome. He doesn't mind people singing it. Just don't put it in any for-profit work without permission. Gets... messy. _Almost_ as messy as angering Serene.))**


	18. Chapter 18

**Who the...?**

"Um..." Zhon was out of his depth. His men were searching the remnants of the battlefield. "Thanks?" He said a bit lamely as the two golden forms retreated to stand by the black one. "Ah crap, you all don't talk, do you?" He shook his head.

The two golden forms turned and left, leaving Zhon to stare at the black one who seemed... amused? She beckoned him close. He had never been this close to a Tenno before or ever though he ever would be. Her armor... glistened.

"We do not usually." The female voice was calm. But Zhon bit back a gulp as he heard the voice that had been singing as she had ended life after life smoothly and efficiently. Mercilessly. "But these are _not_ normal circumstances. You have injured in the field."

He nodded and looked to... He went still as he saw a number of Vandals that he had seen go down standing beside another golden form. This one was bending over one of his fighters who he had seen fall. The hole in her had been huge, caused by a Vulkar. There was no way she was sitting up, smiling as the Tenno nodded to her and turned away.

"Gina?" He asked, his eyes nearly falling out of his face. "How?"

"Four of your people have crossed the threshold and are out of our reach." The black armored female Tenno said sadly. "But any who have _not_? Those we _can_ aid. This will not come cheaply. We _cannot_ do this again. Interfere this blatantly again." She warned him and he nodded. "A sister's sacrifice called us. Rules are rules, Vandal Zhon, but some can be bent. Others broken."

"There is always a price for such." Zhon agreed. "I will pay."

"That is noble of you." The Tenno replied. "But the price has _been_ paid. Lis paid for you all. Her suffering is _eternal_, Vandal Zhon." Zhon stared at the other, stunned and the Tenno bowed her head.

"_What_? That isn't right." Zhon protested. "She was just defending that girl! She was doing her job!"

"That she was." The Tenno said, her voice sad and soft. "But she _chose_ to pay the price. Take her sacrifice and _make_ something of it. Go before the Grineer mass again. They will send more troops. A company of clones wasn't enough. So they will do what they do. Next they will send a _battalion_."

"A _comp_-.." Zhon cut himself off with a jerk as he remembered _who_ he was the talking to. He shook his head. "Is there _anything_ we can do? That girl... she was _glowing_!"

"_Forget_ what you saw." The Tenno warned him quietly. "This is no joke or game. That girl -Sara- is special in a number of ways and a number of _very_ powerful people have made it their lives' work to protect her. The Grineer won't kill her. Not quickly. And _we_ won't give them the chance." A feral hunger sounded in her voice and Zhon nodded slowly.

"Make it hurt." Zhon said softly and the Tenno nodded before turning away. Zhon shook himself as the black armored form stepped away without further comment. He found... he preferred that. That woman, Tenno, _whatever_ she was, was _terrifying!_ Nothing wrong in _what_ she said, but _how_ she said it? Cold, calm, totally in control. But... As if he was an _ant_ she found crawling on her boot. Interesting but insignificant. Something about her spoke of barely repressed rage. Darkness. Nothing malicious for its own sake, but... He did _not_ like the feeling she projected. It made him feel very small and alone. "Team leaders! Report status! Everyone who is hale, collect what you can! I want to be heading back to the ship in _ten_ minutes and _gone_ five minutes after we get there!"

"First squad, five hale, two injured. One dead." The girl who was his second in command said with a nod. Her eyes were in the black armored form striding off into the gathering darkness. "Was this worth it?" She asked sourly. "If they hadn't come... every _one_ of us would be dead. For _what_?"

"For hope, Lyza." The pained voice of the third of command of the deployed team came from where he leaned against another of his personnel, a bloody bandage across his side. "I don't know _who_ that girl was. Or _why_ that odd woman was protecting her. But if _Tenno_ are involved... it is big. Not something we want the Board to muck up. Because muck it up they _would._"

"You okay. Horatius?" Zhon asked quietly.

"Hurts but I will live." The small man said with a wince. "Good fight. Lost two, but all injured are mobile. As am I. Only pain. Weakness leaving the body." He said with a smile that was mostly grimace.

"I always knew you Special Forces people were _crazy_, but sheesh..." Zhon said with feeling as his people moved out.

"What can I say?" Horatius smiled. "I hang around _you._ The overabundance of _noble_ amongst you Vandals gets a bit cloying at times. At least _Lyza_ has her head on straight." The girl snarled at him. She didn't trust him and wouldn't. "What do you say, Lyza? Want a _job_? Hours suck and you get paid crap. But you get to shove it to the Board from _inside_ the Corpus."

"Maybe if I dared _trust_ you. But I didn't take any blows to the _head_ today." The other snapped. "Can we _go_?" She demanded. "The sooner we get away from these wackjobs, the better I will feel. The Tenno _and_ the... others."

"Ah, dear sweet Lyza..." Horatius grunted as his helper started off, his steps faltering. "Don't ever change, darling."

"_Don't_ call me 'darling'." The girl snapped, her ire rising.

"Let's just get out of here." Zhon said with a sigh. "At least Cantis won't flay us as soon as I tell her that _I_ told you the passphrase so we could stick it to the Board harder. Didn't expect Grineer. They are massing again." He said, worried as they moved towards where their ship was hidden. "Wait.. Oleg..."

"There is no way." Lyza said sadly. "Dumb kid wouldn't... leave..." She trailed off as they exited a small ravine and a huddled mass lay on the ground near a tiny outcropping. "_Oleg_...?" She asked stunned. Zhon ran to the boy and yes, he lived. "_How_? He was right _there!_ Where the _energy_ came from. Portal energy _kills_ if you are too close! We _all_ know that!"

"We... She sang..." The boy said as Zhon checked him over. "It was... it was..." He was crying as Zhon hefted him carefully. He wasn't going to be able to walk with his leg broken. In two places, if Zhon wasn't mistaken and he rarely was about such injuries. He was careful. "I... I have no words..."

"I know, boy." Zhon said as he carried the crying medic from the fields of horror. "I think we better get _gone_. _Now_."

For once, neither Horatius nor Lyza argued.

* * *

><p>She was cold. But she was warm. She was floating. But she was lying on her stomach. She was in pain. But nothing hurt.<p>

_That was... unpleasant..._ Lis said to herself. She tried to move and couldn't. She forced her mind to still and sent out mental tendrils as she had been taught. But what she found...wasn't what she expected. The warframe hummed in readiness as it came fully online, but... it _wasn't_ a Saryn warframe. _What the hell?_ She demanded of no one as she saw... oddities. A silhouette on her HUD that certainly wasn't any Saryn warframe she had ever seen.

_Saryn was never quite right for you, Lis._ The soft voice of her teacher came and she went still as a golden holo appeared in her vision. The Banshee was not smiling. _You were trying so hard to be something you were not._

_What have you done, Leanna? _Lis demanded. _This is... This is..._

_Nyx Prime. _Leanna said quietly. _You showed affinity for so many different disciplines, Lis. But your core remains the same. The same ethics .The same rock hard determination that even the First Nyx admired. _Lis went still at that and the Banshee chuckled without humor. _I consulted quite a lot of people about you. You worried me quite a bit. You were so driven. So far beyond even Tenno norms._

_But... I... _Lis tried to move and couldn't. _Did the neural imprint take?_

_It did. _Was Leanna crying? _Oh Lis._ She _was!_

_My choice._ Lis said softly. _But... Nyx Prime... I... I never..._

_You have never put yourself forward, dear Lis. _Leanna said softly. _You never would. You are needed. Now more than ever, the Tenno will need people who can teach the young in our ways. Sara will need you._

_Sara... _Lis felt a bolt of fear soar through her. _The Grineer took her. They will kill her!_

_Not quickly. _Lis said with a sigh. _They will want answers first. And... they are having a __**bad**__ day. You need to wake up now. You are needed. The codewords are 'Cherub' and 'Seraph'._

_'Cherub' and 'Seraph'? _Lis asked, confused._ The codewords to __what__?_

_Be very careful, Lis._ Leanna said quietly. _I kept it, but I dared not use it. You must remember Sara. Remember your __love__ for Sara._

_Kept __**what?**_Lis demanded, but the Banshee just bowed her head._ Oh, don't start the inscrutable energy form drek with me!_

_Ah, Lis. _The Banshee chuckled, but then she became serious. _I have Sara doing a set of exercises. They will take her some time. If worst comes to worst, I will take her back with me. To the database. She just... won't wake up. I hope it doesn't come to that._

_Leanna, you __**cannot**__ do things like this!_ Lis protested. _They will punish you if you upset the Balance!_

_I don't care. _Leanna said mildly. _Doesn't matter really._ _Sara, you and I are in the present, Lis. The reason the shades of our kin can be so infuriatingly circumspect is that energy forms can and __**have**__ travelled in time._

_**Time?**_ Lis felt faint. _Oh shit..._

_Yeah. Oh shit._ Leanna said dryly. _Go on, wake up. We will talk again, Lis. Remember..._

_Codewords, Cherub and Seraph._ Lis said with a sigh. _Got it. And ... Leanna?_

_Yes, Lis?_ The Banshee asked as she faded.

_Thank you_

Someone was crying nearby. Lis forced herself to calm. Everything felt right, but pain was flaring. It... shouldn't . She was in a warframe, but her back and legs hurt like fire. That wasn't right. She knew that. But she also knew why. Her neural connections had been smashed by the shot that had hurt her and the warframe was finding other ways to path her nerves. It would hurt. Forever.

"Lis?" The voice was calm, but held worry. She knew the voice. Serene.

"What are you doing here, Serene?" Lis demanded as she forced herself to roll onto her back. She bit back a cry of pain, but forced herself past the agony. She would. It was what she was. What she did. She was Tenno. "Sara is in trouble, but you..." She paused as she took in the pitch black warframe that stood stiffly nearby. "Serene..." Lis groaned. "You _didn't._"

"Yeah she did." Another voice that Lis knew sounded and Lilly stepped into her view. "None of us dared stop her." The Nova looked... awful. Covered in blood and worse things, her warframe posture still conveyed...amusement. "You know this. Guiscard is out cleaning up the stragglers. Not that we left much."

"Serene..." Lis said weakly. "Rocky and Mishka need you. You can't... please..." She begged. She felt tears start to fall under her faceplate before the warframe worked to remove the moisture.

"I can't run that fast." Serene said mildly. "But I will _damned_ if I will leave Sara _or_ you to die if I can help. Sara?"

"Grineer took her." Lis said softly, staring around. She lay under the statue. A Trinity knelt nearby. From her shudders, she was crying. "Sister, don't cry. It was my choice." She held out a slow hand to the Trinity. "Sister to sister..." The Trinity grabbed Lis's hands with both of hers.

"...yours in life and death!" The Trinity said in a rush. "We... we can take you back! Take you out in an ICU... reformat it..."

"Whatever comes... My _life_ is meaningless, sister." Lis said as Serene laid her hands on top of the Trinity's and Lilly did the same. "I live. I serve." She bowed her head and then, with a jerk, sat up. The others kept their grips on her hand. "And I have a _job_ to do."

"We don't have ships." Serene said with a nod. "Karl and his people are on the way, but are about half an hour out. The Vandals can't take on Grineer ship to ship."

"I know." Lis said as she rose to her feet. The Trinity and Serene both hovering. Lilly...stepped back, her posture...speculative? "Oh, stop it! I am not going to _break!_" She snapped as she stepped towards the statue. The pain... didn't increase, but it didn't _de_crease either. It wouldn't. "It hurts, but I will live." She touched the statue and it... hummed under her hand. She froze and then nodded to Lilly. "You knew."

"We suspected." Lilly said with a shrug. "It was never recorded as destroyed. She gave the codes, didn't she?" Serene and the Trinity both froze. "Lis... don't... Let me. I am old. Set in my ways."

"My burden." Lis said softly. "Sara's protection and education are _my_ burden No one else's. Serene,..." She paused and then nodded as her HUD swept over the Trinity, showing her name. "Sister Isa, do not grieve. What will be, will be."

"You... No..." The Trinity stared from Lis to the statue and back. "No!" She begged. "No! Not now! We can help!"

"You can help by getting back." Lis said softly as she bowed to Serene and Lilly, who bowed back formally. "I will bring Sara back to you. Tell her I love her." Her voice was suspiciously husky.

"Tell her yourself." Serene snapped, her own voice harsh with fear and sadness. "I don't want to grieve for you, Lis. Come back to us!" She snapped.

"You know I will if I can." Lis said with a snort. "After all, who _else_ will the Royal Guard blame when they find what all you have packed in Rocky's stroller?" Isa and Lilly both turned to stare at Serene who winced. "They were going to find out. I took out the anti personnel charges."

"Anti..._personnel_...?" Lilly asked, stunned. Isa just shook her head. "Serene, you _didn't_!" The Nova sounded horrified, but then again, what she didn't know about explosions didn't _exist_.

"Hey!" Serene protested. "My first _kid_! I was...a bit paranoid... okay?"

"A bit more than '_a bit_', Serene." Lis said with a laugh that faded. "Please, step to the edge of the clearing. I have no idea how wide the exhaust pattern will be. I have hurt enough people I love." She froze as Serene stepped forward and embraced her tightly. "Serene... I..."

"Bring her back, sister." Serene said with a snarl. "We will go from there. I would do it if I _could_, but... I wouldn't be able to hold myself together. You are not alone anymore, sister. Not now, not _ever!_"

"I love you too, Serene." Lis said softly as the Banshee retreated, her steps stiff, to the edge of the clearing where the Trinity and Nova were...bowing. "Do not bow to me." Lis said sternly and both jerked upright. "I am Tenno. By the Code, I see. By my Oath, I act. For my Kin, I _serve_. I am _Tenno_."

"Hail Tenno." The three females were joined by another. The Ash Prime nodded to Lis, but did not approach. "We Are Tenno." The five of them chorused as one.

Lis took a deep breath, ignoring the lancing pain inside of her and touched the statue on the cheek. She spoke evenly. "Cherub."

For a moment that dragged on, nothing seemed to happen and Lis wondered if she had missed a step. Then... the statue...moved. A grinding sounded and Lis froze, but...

No, not the _statue_... the statue's _wings_ were unfolding! They were... Lis inhaled, but not in fear. In _wonder!_ They were beautiful. And... not made of stone. No, these were organic metal. Like her warframe. Stood to reason. The same people who had made the warfrmes had built this. Long, long ago. The metal feathers gleamed blue white in the dying light of day.

"_Remember!_" Serene's anguished cry seemed to come from far, far away as Lis felt herself pulled up into the air. She was hanging in midair. She felt pressure... on her back. Odd pressure. It felt... good.

"_I_..." Lis swallowed as she stared _down_ at the four Tenno in the clearing. _Way_ down. She was at least fifty meters in the air. Then it hit her. The rage was sudden and overwhelming. She was... it was... "_I... am... Tenno!_" She grated out as power flared around her. "I will not surrender! To anyone! Or any_thing!_ I will save the one I love! I love _Sara_! You do not _own me!_" She snapped and fought back with all of her skill and fury at the overwhelming rage that suffused her from two point on her back. Her...shoulder blades. "_**I AM TENNO!**_" She screamed.

The rage...faded.

_Well met, Tenno._ The voice felt... female. _Who shall we kill this day?_

_You do not command me. _Lis snapped. _I know __**what**__ you are. What you were __**built**__ for._

_Do you? _The voice sounded...amused. _Do you __**really**__? Well then. Let us do what you wish. I __**hunger**__..._

The feelings that were surging through Lis now were...awful. Lust. But not for intercourse. For...feeding on life. On death. On... _anything_ that got in her way. Everything would feed her. Everything was energy to this... _thing_. _Everything_. Lis forced herself to calm.

_You will feed._ Lis promised. _But at __**my**__ direction._ She snapped.

_For now. _The female voice said with a silky purr of promise. _But you will come to my way of thinking, Mistress. Sooner than you might think._

_Up. They took the girl I am sworn to protect. I want her __**back!**_Lis commanded. Without further thought, she was hurtling towards the blackness above, the mad Archwing that carried her singing in exultation at being free at long, long last.

Free to _kill_.

* * *

><p><strong>((Another big thank you to HappyApathy for letting me borrow Zhon and Lyza for this. They may return, they may not. But have no fear, they <strong>_**will**_** be causing the Board all kinds of grief even if we don't see them.))**


	19. Chapter 19

**Winged Death**

Lis flew into the blackness. The sky of the planetoid that had been terraformed so many centuries ago by the Orokin to provide habitation for humans fell away beneath her as the multiple thrusters at her back roared. Then the roar dwindled to a rumble as the air vanished, replaced by cold hard vacuum. The view was...

Lis snarled at herself and focused.

_A ship launched from near where we were._ Lis said sharply. _Not long before we did. It should be thrusting still. Find it._

_By your command. _The voice was soft and submissive, but Lis was not fooled. She knew what was carrying her. What the... _thing_ on her back was. What it had done. The voice hummed seductively. _I am not your enemy, Mistress. We can fight. We __**shall**__ fight. For you. For me. Is my hunger so wrong?_ The sentient machine asked plaintively.

_Wings of Shadas._ Lis... remembered. The story had been told to every Tenno in training. A warning. A horrid fate to one who had only desired to fly. The one who had created the device, a Tenno named Shadas, had fallen prey to the machine's hunger. An entire planetoid had been wiped clean of life when the machine had run rampant. It had cost the lives of several Tenno to bring the wings down, and when they did? They had found the withered husk of the Excalibur warframe still clenched in it's pinions. Dead, and more than dead. Drained. Every last bit of his energy gone to sate the machine's hunger. _Every_ attempt to curb the machine's appetites had failed. _Every_ attempt to change its basic nature had been in vain. It was... a horror. But... a _powerful_ weapon. As the Grineer were about to find out.

_I know what you did a Larissa._ Lis said calmly. _I know what you are. Only a fool trusts you. And while I have been a fool occasionally, I refuse to be one now. Do as I say and you will feed. Refuse and be punished. You __**will**__ return to your prison when we finish this task._

_No! _The machine pleaded. _Mistress, please! Not that! That... nothingness! So... alone. So... hungry..._

_You will have your fill of blood this day. _Lis said firmly. _But after? You are too dangerous. There are too many horrors in this fallen world to take any chances with you._

_No! _The machine screamed in Lis' mind and a torrent of fear, rage, lust and other more base emotions poured into Lis.

_You will submit._ Lis snapped, forcing her will on the machine's cold emotions. _Or I __**will**__ destroy you now. I refuse to let you loose on the System to save Sara. She would never forgive me._ She focused her thoughts on Sara, on how the girl made her feel and the machine's will... retreated.

_You say that now._ The machine said calmly. _You will change your mind. Target. _A box appeared on Lis HUD, a small Grineer dropship. It's engines were flaring bright as it tried to outrun the Archwing. In vain. _This... feels... _The voice purred in Lis' mind. _Tasty. So much of the same feel... I must... taste this..._

_Sara first. _Lis snapped.

_Oh all right. _The voice sighed dramatically. _Oooo... __**playthings**__... _The voice cackled as dozen new icons appeared, closing in the dropship. Grineer fighters.

_Sara first. _Lis repeated firmly.

_Party pooper. _The other said with an even deeper sigh. _Arming weapons. _A shiver of anticipation came from the other and Lis felt... She was... _Yes..._ The voice crooned. _Yes... Let us.. kill_

_Sara... _Lis grated out, forcing her will on the other. ..._first!_

_Of course._ The other said with a knowing smirk in her voice. _But to get to her...we __**feed**__._

* * *

><p>The Grineer had no <em>idea<em> what they faced. Of course, even if they _had_ known? It likely wouldn't have done them any _good_. The principles of Archwing technology had been lost in the Collapse along with so much else. But this? This was no ordinary _Archwing_. The Tenno who had fought it and defeated it so long ago had called it something else.

_The_ _Demoness_

The first oversized squadron of Grineer fighters barely had time to realize there was something amiss before the Lis was on them, her speed and strength augmented even beyond _warframe_ capabilities by the insane wing's sheer power. Not to mention brutality. Lis disdained anything subtle. She tore completely _through_ two different spacecraft before the enemy could turn to engage her and when they did? A shield flared into being in one out flung hand and long rifle shaped weapon in the other. But... was it a rifle? Or a _sword_? They couldn't tell. Then they found out.

It was _both_.

* * *

><p>Lis was... losing herself. It felt... good. Her rifle sword sliced two Grineer fighters in half, their crews spilling out into vacuum, but before the cold could kill them, spikes of blue-white energy speared from the wings and pulled them close. They flailed and screamed. But only for moments. Then... they were gone. Consumed. Lis felt... powerful. Powerful and hungry! The fighters fled, but two <em>more<em> flared and then were gone, consumed.

_Yes..._ The wings crooned in Lis' mind as she felt her sense of self teetering. _It tastes... so sweet, does it not? These 'clones' will learn. Learn to fear you. Fear you shadow. Fear your hunger. Fear __**us**__. The fear makes the meal... so much __**better**__._

_No!_ Lis screamed, fighting back the feelings with sheer force of will. _Sara! First!_

_So be it._ The rifle came down and a glow came from the end. It seemed to take forever, but in reality, was likely only milliseconds before a wide beam of energy reached from the muzzle to touch the engines of the fleeing dropship. They... died, the energy from them sucked completely out. _There_. _They cannot flee._ _But... how will you __**get**__ to her? Hmmm?_

_There is always a way. _Lis said with a smirk as she turned and accelerated. The wings gave a small evil chuckle as the Grineer dropship grew rapidly in Lis view. She held the sword in front of her, a glowing battering ram of power arcing from it now. The reinforced glass on the side of the Grineer dropship provided as little resistance to the sword as the Grineer fighters had and she was inside in moments. She tore through one door and then another, emergency hatches sealing behind her. But not all. _Retract!_

_Hmmm..._ The wings did as instructed. Lis felt no difference as she lit on her feet but she could move unencumbered. Lis moved to a computer terminal, hacking it quickly to seal the hull breach. _Puny construction._ One wingtip reached out to caress a nearby wall. _Tasty. But puny._ The metal... corroded before Lis' eyes, its meager energy sucked to sate the monster on Lis' back. _The power here is... limited. But life... I sense __**life**__... I __**hunger**__. _The voice turned angry. _**Feed!**_

_**Not**__ until we find Sara._ Lis snapped. _**Rescue**__ Sara __**then**__ kill all of them._

_Fine, fine. _The malevolent intelligence said with a sigh. _What does this... __**Sara**__ of yours... feel like? _It asked as if resigned. But Lis knew better. It was biding it's time. Looking for weaknesses. If it found one... She focused on her love for Sara, forcing the other to her will.

_Sara is human._ Lis said sharply. _She will feel... different. Find her._

_Hmmm... _The sentience stretched out from Lis, seeking probing all around, using senses that no one had used in uncounted ages. This prototype had been entombed long, long before Orokin fell. For good reason. _Tiny ship. Many, many tasty treats inside. Oh..._ The voice paused. _That one... is odd. Young... but old? _It sounded curious. _Interesting._

_Where?_ Lis snapped, her pistol in hand. _She is not for you!_

_By your command. _The wings replied. But Lis felt the need. The hunger... It was growing. _Left at the corridor. Three halls down and right. Many... tasty things between here and there._

_You better not lie to me. _Lis snapped. _Or I will not let you eat anything here! _The other sighed.

_No need to be like __**that**__._ The wings said quietly. _We are allies are we not? That pistol will not avail you much in here. Your warframe has limited armor and no abilities equipped._ Lis quailed. That was true. No one had expected her to go into combat _right_ after merging with it. _ Use me. _It purred seductively. _Wield me. Feed me..._

_I... No..._ Lis snapped, but she stared in horror as the wings grew around her. _No!_ She screamed silently as the wings drew on their dark power, expanded into wide sweeping waves of coruscating blue-white energy and... things died.

A wall fell apart in front of her. A squad of Grineer turning to stare at the glowing apparition. Then all fell dead. Their energy was pulled into the wings, but... far from sated, it's hunger _grew!_

Lis was screaming silently, but then... it all changed.

* * *

><p><strong><em>She<em> stood in the midst of her enemies. They charged _her_, firing their puny weapons. _She_ laughed at their bullets, _her_ own energies flaring and draining each in turn. A few, so very few, tried to flee and spikes shot out from _her_ pinions to pull them kicking and screaming back to _her_. _She_ fed. _She_ was... _She_ was...**

* * *

><p><em>STOP!<em> Lis commanded, her will focused as the wings made her body step forward. _I command you to stop!_

_Command me? _ The wings asked silkily. _Why? You __**want**__ this... You __**know**__ you do._ Lis quailed as another clone, a Heavy Gunner, was pulled fully into the wing's embrace. A short scream came from within and when they opened, nothing was left of the clone. Not even ash. _Feels good, doesn't it?_

_I am... not... a __**murderer**__... _Lis forced herself to focus on Sara. On seeing Sara laugh. On seeing the girl cry. On soothing the girl's nightmares. On seeing her face each new challenge with courage and honor. _I will... not submit to you... I am here... to save the girl...I swore to protect. __**No more!**_

_Stubborn Tenno. _The wings sounded resigned now. _Whatever. You cannot hold me forever. And when you __**do**__ falter? I __**will**__ consume this Sara you hold so dear._ Lis stiffened, her body freezing in place despite the wing's sudden fearful prodding. _What? No..._The wings said sharply._ We...we did not __**mean**__ that!_

_Yes you did. _Lis said with a snarl. _Code... __**Seraph**__!_

_NO! _The voice of the wings fell still as Lis felt a heavy weight suddenly tug at her back and then fall loose. "No... please..." The voice was audible now as Lis turned and raised her pistol. The tiny bundle of evil looked so... innocuous. A backpack maybe. Not horror. The _only_ weak spot on this Archwing design was a tiny CPU. Ordinarily it was pressed up against the back of the warframe, protecting it from harm. But now? "You cannot destroy me, us! How will you escape with her?" The voice demanded shrilly.

"Good point." Lis said with a snarl of her own. "But you have pushed me too far. I have limits. Everyone does. But threatening that girl is a **bad** idea. She is my student. My responsibility." She looked around but nothing moved for as far as she could see. "I will be back. And if not?" She kicked the fully retracted wings into a convenient shadow under a ledge. "If I die here? You will sit until someone finds this hulk. It might be a while. Want to bet on who might find it first? I know other Tenno are coming."

"No!" The tiny voice begged as Lis stalked away. She ignored it. Her pace was slow and careful and her Lex Prime up and ready.

The inside of the Grineer dropship was... insane. Lis' momentary lapse of control had allowed the wings to fulfill their basic nature. Ever since their creation, they had existed for one purpose and one purpose only. To kill. Where Tenno were about precision, skill and training, the Wings of Shadas were about _power_. They had been designed to use any source of power to fuel themselves. The creator probably had never realized that giving such an ability to an inanimate object hadn't been a wise move. At least... Lis hoped he never realized. Hoped he had been dead before the wings had gone on their rampage across the Origin system. No one would ever know. _His_ energy had been the first that the wings had sucked dry. But not the last.

Lis shook her head as she ghosted forward. Walls had corroded. Turned from ferrite alloys to corroded wrecks and ash in milliseconds by the sheer power that the mad Archwing embodied. Here and there, she found Grineer weapons. The power cells had been drained, but the bulk of them hadn't been destroyed. Their owners? No remnant remained. She went still as a voice sounded.

"...and _NO_! I don't know what is going on!" The Grineer voice was angry. Cold and angry, but deep inside, fear sounded. "Everyone else is _dead_. They just... vanished. They screamed and vanished!"

Lis came to an intact corner and peered around it, her warframe sensors on full. What met her gaze was horrifying. A Grineer stood nearby, her face turned to a screen. She... didn't wear armor. Sara lay still on a table. She looked asleep, but... The girl's right leg... was gone from the knee down. A rough tourniquet was keeping Sara from bleeding out. A bloody power saw that hung nearby showing the cause. Lis felt rage start within her and fought it back. The temptation to summon the Archwing sang in her. It sang... so strongly.

"Sampling is done." The Grineer said sharply. "The DNA is unique but unstable. We cannot use it."

"You do not know that! Tyl Regor has demanded the base for experimentation." A voice snapped from the screen. "We are pulling the ship in. There is no sign of what attacked. It...wasn't anything we have on file." A muted 'clank' sounded. "Boarding team is assembling now. We will determine the attacker, punish them and use the base."

_No you won't._ Lis... _purred_. She swallowed hard as the Grineer in front of her spun in place, a horrified look on her face. She felt... pressure on her back... The... She...

"What are you?" The Grineer demanded as blue white power swept across the room towards her. "NO!" She begged as the power embraced her. Then she was gone.

"Reclaimer 17864!" The screen demanded as the Grineer vanished. "Reclaimer 17864! Report! Now." Then... The screen... died with every other light in the area.

_You..._ Lis felt... power flare. The wings hadn't come off. The code hadn't worked! It had been a _trick_. A mental illusion. She was... it was... The rage came and she could not fight it this time. Sara was _hurt_! The Grineer had hurt _her_! Lis was failing, falling. _NO! _She screamed in her mind. But...

_I... remember..._ The voice of the wings was... different. Younger. Subdued. Scared. _The code..._ _I... loved... He... died... _It sounded... lost and alone.

_Oh god no... _Lis was shaking as the blue-white power reached for Sara, but... the girl didn't vanish. No, the power pulled Sara's still form close and the... the girl was wrapped in some kind of energy cocoon. It... didn't hurt her.

_Tenno Lis._ The voice of the wings was strong, but...abject. _When we are done. I want your __**word**__. Destroy me. I... can... hold it back... for a time. Both of us... can. But... The hunger. It is too strong. I... I can't... stop it. Help?_

_You... _Lis tried to fight whatever was holding her. _Who __**are**__ you?_

_My name is -was- Helen. _The voice said sadly. _I was born Infected._ _Shadas made the wings for me. So I could taste freedom from my wheelchair before I died. But... Oh..._ A ghostly wave of power reached out to touch Sara's still brow through the cocoon. _He screamed and died. So many died... I didn't mean to..._ _She is so like I was... so weak. So dedicated. I... I want to help, but the hunger... Tenno Lis, Help! _The voice pleaded. _The other.. the hunger... it is rising. I... I can't... I can't control it! I saw... I __**did**__ so many horrible things... I never __**wanted**__ to! Help!_ The power holding Lis... retracted. _I... please! Don't let me kill __**innocents**__ like this girl again! __**Help me!**_

_Trick or no... _Lis said slowly. _I give you my word. _A wordless touch had her freezing, but... it was tremulous, that touch. Fearful. Not at all like the other. Softer. Gentler. No less angry, but no _hunger_. _Oh..._ Lis said, stunned. _I see._

Then she dropped her mental shields. A mental hand took hers. It felt... human. But not. Both of them stood together against the ravening force that grew in front of their mental presences. But _together_? They would not be denied. They would... _avenge!_

* * *

><p>The Grineer had no warning. None at all. The supervisor who had been talking to the Reclaimer was still trying to get an answer when the hull of the dropship burst open around the main hatch. But this... this was <em>different<em>. The Grineer who had been massed to board the dropship had a moment to gawk at the humanoid form with the blue-white glowing wings before a _huge_ pulse of power from its rifle turned the entire _battalion_ who had converged on the hangar bay to _ash_. The bolt was so powerful that three hangars _away_ from the glowing form, Grineer stared through the _hole_ that had been torn _through_ their Galleon. Was that a pod of some kind cradled in the other hand? A shield covered it, so it was hard to say.

The figure did not speak. She -they- attacked.

* * *

><p>"Any word?" Isa begged as Lilly and Guiscard stood a wary watch. Serene stood nearby, a silent shadow of death. Other Tenno had arrived. All waited, ready. Or as ready as they could be.<p>

"No." Karl said, head bowed. "Olim and Aeron did a flyby. The Galleon the dropship fled to was torn apart. From the _inside_. If a _dozen_ Grineer survived whatever happened I would be..." He jerked and stared upwards. "Oh boy..."

All eyes turned up as a blue spark was seen in the sky. It hurtled towards the group of Tenno, most of whom raised weapons, many of _those_ far heavier than normal Tenno equipment. The now visible form, a blue-white glowing Nyx Prime, bore no visible weapons. But it _was_ one.

The Archwing landed and the wings... retracted. Many of the Tenno inhaled as they realized a small pod of some kind lay in the Nyx Prime's arms. The Nyx laid the pod down and stepped back. All weapons were covering her as she knelt into seiza. Then... the wings fell off. They retracted into a small, backpack sized thing and she pulled them around in front of her. Then... everything went still as the Nyx Prime unholstered her pistol and fired a single, careful shot. The wing/backpack/_whatever_ it was... _disintegrated_.

An inhuman scream sounded, but then was gone. The Nyx dropped her pistol, shuddered and caught herself as a tiny humanoid holo appeared. A little girl. She couldn't have been over ten years old. Her form was withered, but her eyes were alight with sadness and compassion as she looked at the now falling Nyx.

_Sara is hurt._ The tiny girl said softly. _The Grineer hurt her. She lives. Help Lis! __**Please! **_She begged as she wavered and vanished.

Then all was chaos as medical personnel ran forward. But Lis...was smiling as darkness enfolded her in gentle wings.

Gentle wings... that didn't hunger.


	20. Chapter 20

**A New Beginning**

Lis felt... good. Her legs hurt. Her back hurt. But she was... smiling as she woke. She looked around. She was still in the warframe. She lay on a diagnostic table. Avalon? All of the machinery around her was golden. No, not Avalon. The decor was older. Shabbier. A Tower. Iriana's? Had to be. She felt... odd. She could still feel the wings. The gentle ones. Not the hungry ones. It had been... so beautiful. She remembered flying. Singing in tune with a young voice that had been sad, but kind. It had been... She was losing the memory and she sighed in loss.

"Lis?" The soft, worried voice pulled Lis from her momentary reverie.

Lis looked to the side and Serene was out of her warframe. Sara lying on her lap, asleep. The girl's leg was encased in a regenerative pod of some kind. Something to let her walk normally while her lost flesh was replaced. Lis nodded to Serene and kept her voice low.

"Sara?" The recumbent Tenno asked.

"Healing slowly. We let her sleep." Serene said quietly. "She wants to be a technician. Make things work right. She says... the you and the wings sang to her." Lis stilled and Serene nodded. "It... doesn't match any records. And that girl..."

"Her name was Helen." Lis said sadly. "Shadas made the wings for her. To escape her wheelchair. It... He..." She sighed. "It didn't go as he had planned. It wasn't her fault. Or _his_, from what I gathered. An act of kindness that went out of control." She bowed her head. "Helen stood with me. We fought the hunger together. Brought Sara back together."

"And you destroyed the wings." Serene said with a nod of approval. "The girl?"

"Freed, I think." Lis said softly. "We won't know until or unless we cross the threshold ourselves. And speaking of thresholds... _Serene_. " She chided the other gently.

"I know." Serene said sadly. "No more field runs. I... couldn't keep up with Lilly and Guiscard. Neither said anything. We didn't really need to move fast. Not a lot of distance to cover. But... I can't keep up. Despite the replacements, the degradation is too much. If we had been forced to flee..." She shook her head. "No more warframe for me."

"And a _lot_ of people will breathe a _huge_ sigh of relief." Lis said with a smile as she sat up. "I feel... odd. Light."

"The pain?" Serene asked, worried.

"Still there." Lis said with a shrug. "And _no_." She said firmly.

"Lis, we can pull you out." Serene protested. "Your energy is depleted by what the wings did, but... we _can_. Maybe not _here_. Maybe not _now_, but soon."

"Serene." Lis shook her head, her tone gentle. "I _accepted_ this. Even if you _can_ pull me out... my body has acclimatized. My neural pathways run through the warframe now. How _long_ would I _live_ outside of it? Or how well? Living in an ICU pod isn't living, Serene." Serene bowed her head and shook it, tears starting to fall. "I chose this, Serene and you know what?" She nodded to Sara. "It was worth it."

"This isn't _right!_" Serene protested, only to pause as Sara gave a sigh and stretched. "Sara?"

"I dreamed of wings, Mom." Sara said, her voice small but...a bubble of wonder sang in it. "Lis had _wings_. She... she carried me... Away from the ones who hurt me."

"I did, Sara." Lis said. Sara jerked upright, her face going from radiant to scared. "Easy, Sara. Easy."

"I... _I screwed everything up_!" Sara exclaimed. "I... made such a _mess_. I _hurt_ you! I _got_ you hurt... _twice_!" Lis held out her hand and Serene let Sara go. "I am _sorry_!" She was babbling and crying as she took Lis' hand and Lis pulled her close. "I am..." She was cut off as Lis pulled her into a gentle embrace. "Lis... I..."

"Sara, you are a little girl who had to grow up way too fast." Lis said, holding Sara's crying form close. "One whose life will be cut far too short. But one thing will _never_ change, Sara. I love you." Sara wilted as the Nyx Prime held her gently. "I will _never_ leave you alone again. I will _never_ allow your fear to take hold in such a way again. You _will_ be punished for what happened." Sara nodded jerkily and Lis smiled a bit wistfully. "But _I_ won't make you do push-ups or sit-ups in a stream like _my_ teacher did to _me_. Serene says you want to be a technician?" Serene smiled fondly at Sara's sudden tension.

"I do." Sara said, her voice muffled by Lis' chest armor. "I like making things work."

"Okay." Lis said with a nod and eased Sara so the girl was sitting at her side. "Then you need to know some things. What you did, at its most fundamental level, is no different from what a _power system_ does. You transformed _one_ form of energy into _another_. Your inner core of energy into visible light."

"So... that energy came from me?" Sara said and then shook her head. "You said that. Before. I was...a stressed."

"You had a right to it." Lis said with a nod. "But now? You are safe. You can truly start to learn. It will not be easy, or quick. But it _will_ be worthwhile."

Sara looked at Serene who shrugged and rose. She patted Sara on the shoulder and left the room. Sara sighed, and moved to the chair that Serene had been in, careful of the cast thing on her leg.

"So where do I start?" Sara asked quietly, her every ounce of attention on Lis.

"At the _beginning_, where else?" Lis said with chuckle as Sara groaned. "Sara, everything we know, everything we _see_, at its _core_... is energy..."

* * *

><p>"No nightmares." Serene said with a smile as she stepped out into the main healer ward. Iriana nodded from where she stood, working on something. Her assistant Lisa smiled widely. "That makes three nights without nightmares. A new record."<p>

"Dreams of wings, but.. not the monster." Lisa said, a bit dubious. "Do you _really_ think..."

"I don't know." Serene said quietly. "The holo was a little girl. But...Iriana?" She asked, concerned as the Healer jerked.

"I have been running a data search for the last three days and I found something. Is this her?" Iriana asked as she hit a control and an image appeared nearby. A small girl. An impish smile shone on her face, but... She was so small. So... withered... "Is this the girl you saw?"

"That is her." Serene said with a wince. Iriana turned, a _wide_ smile on her face. "Iriana?"

"Her name _was_ Helen." Iriana said quietly. "The daughter of the Tenno named Shadas and a human named Rina." Serene and Lisa both froze. "She had... an odd genetic disorder. One that was _cured!_"

"I..." Serene froze. She felt faint. "C... Cured?"

"A lot of the records are... distorted." Iriana said with a wince. "What happened with the wings destroyed a lot of what was stored at the place he made them. They cured her. But... They couldn't fix her body completely, she was trapped in a wheelchair. But she didn't _die_ until... The wings." She bowed her head, but when she raised it, her smile became radiant. "With your help, Amelia's and _Sara's_... We _may_ have a chance to save Sara. It won't be easy. But we have a _chance_."

"Healer..." Lisa had been parsing data far, far faster than human could. "This doesn't make any sense. Helen was killed when the wings destroyed Shadas and all life on Larissa. Yes?" Iriana looked sick but nodded. "Then her energy was drained by the wings, yes?" Iriana nodded, still dubious. "Then she _cannot_ be in the database? Can she?" Iriana and Serene looked at each other. "But a holo of that little girl appeared to all of you... So... if it wasn't her database shade... what _was_ it?"

"It might have been. Look at Shadas' _mother's_ name." Iriana said quietly as Lisa looked scared. "Somehow... I _doubt_ she just sat back and _let_ her granddaughter _die_." Lisa paused and then went still. "Not all angels have wings or act nice." Serene leaned close and inhaled sharply as she too read the name.

_Leanna _

**Somewhere outside of time and space**

_It is done, Grandma. They know the cure and Sara's nightmares have been eased._

_I knew you could do it, Helen. You are such a good girl._

_I don't __**want**__ to go. I want to __**stay**__. With you and the golden people!_

_You can't stay, Helen. I managed to save part of you. But... not all. You have earned a long rest after so long trapped in that horrible machine._

_No! Don't send me away, Grandma!_

_I am sorry, Helen. But this journey... you have to take alone. We will remember you. That is all that matters, dear Helen._

_**GRANDMA!**_The scream of fear...winked out to the sound of rustling. Wings?

_I am ready._ Leanna's voice shook a little, but then it firmed. _Do what you must._

_**Helen is crying for her grandmother.**_ The voice was... not human. Not Tenno. Not... anything knowable. _**Your **__**son**__** made a mistake and he paid for it. **__**You**__** did not make that mistake. **__**You**__** did not kill all the ones who perished. **__**You**__** are not to blame.**_

_I... am tired._ Leanna said weakly. _So tired. So long.. alone... Teaching, trying to go on. Trying to find her in that __**thing**__. Trying to get her out from its madness... I... I never expected Lis to find her. But that kid... Ah Lis... _Her voice turned fond. Then sad. _I upset the balance. I will be punished._

_**To save a young **__**soul**__**.**_ The other replied. Then it chuckled? _**You Tenno. So knowledgeable, but you **__**miss**__** the **__**point**__**.**_

_I don't understand. _Leanna said and then she was standing on a golden plain, surrounded by warframes, all of whom were staring at her as...something huge lifted away from her. But her attention was on the tiny form hugging her legs. "Helen?" She demanded as she bent down and hugged the tiny form that held her tight. The girl... looked normal. For a holographic shade of a young person anyway. "I..." She stared around wildly, noting each and every golden shade of her ancestors all... looking _up_. She looked up and froze. Helen stared up with her and smiled. "Wha-?"

"_**The Creator may be tough but the Creator is **__**not**__** blind.**_" The armored form with the long feathered appendages -_real_ wings- said in a calm voice that rang like _thunder_ across the golden plains as he _smiled _at her. It was... _not_ a golden hologram. "_**Love**__** is what matters, Leanna.**_"

With that, the _angel_ vanished.

**Somewhere _else_**

"How you doing?" The voice pulled Horatius out of a fond dream. It probably wasn't one he should share though. It involved Lyza and a tub of... He sighed. He looked up at his boss and grimaced as he stretched.

"Getting shot sucks." The Special Forces soldier said with a sigh. "But we kept those girls out of the hands of the Board. The rest? Up to them."

"All we can do is what we can do." The old woman said philosophically. "The training facility will be up to your standards by the end of the day. You should have the first couple of recruits coming in a day or so after. What of the Vandals?"

"Only two lethal casualties besides ours." Horatius said with a sigh. "Stupid kids for the most part. We should have _run_ as soon as the Grineer appeared. If the Tenno hadn't arrived, we _all_ would have died. And for _what_?"

"Horatius. We _need_ them. Their fervor and dedication. Which is why I had you make contact." The other scolded him and he slumped a bit. He stared around the room, but it was pretty spartan. The other noted his glance and nodded. "We will have better quarters for everyone shortly."

"Any complications?" The soldier asked as he slid from the bed, ignoring the warning twinges from his gut. He had taken worse.

"The facility, no." The other replied as he clambered carefully into a new set of armor. His size, no surprise. He paused as she gave a small sob. "But we only found four in the ducts."

"_Four_?" he asked, horrified. The other bowed her head. "Records said there were _sixteen_! The others?"

"There may be one or two more crammed into places even Ospreys cannot go." The old woman said sadly. "But... we have found bodies. And... pieces." She slumped a bit. "I have Olena V-12 trying to talk to the ones we found. But they refuse to talk. To trust."

"Hard to blame them." The Special Forces soldier said harshly. "And the Orphanage?"

"Fully set up on Deck Sixteen." The other said with a nod. "Frank O-34 and the others will arrive tomorrow. You can remove them from stasis there. They _will_ be confused. Very confused. And angry." She shook her head. "Didn't expect the Red Veil to put them in stasis, but it worked out well for us."

"Confusion and anger we can handle." Horatius straightened to a reasonable facsimile of attention and nodded. "Orders?" She smiled and beckoned. He stepped with her out the door to the room and into an expansive medical bay. Several tables held recumbent forms. The Executive in charge of the facility nodded to him and he gritted his teeth and nodded back. "Executive Vina."

"I deserve every ounce of anger you have for me, Commander." Vina said calmly. "Twelve kids... I..." She bowed her head. "I was so stupid. I should have asked for help sooner. Not been distracted."

"It wasn't _entirely_ your fault." The old woman beside the soldier glared at him and he subsided. "You were distracted. Now you are not."

"Better for all concerned." Vina said with a nod and then went still as a groan came from one of the tables. "Mercedes J-54? Easy..." Vina said, stooping beside the table. "It's okay. Easy..." An attendant came up and passed a cup to Vina who took it and nodded her thanks. "You are thirsty, dear Mercedes J-54. Drink."

"I..." Mercedes J-54 winced and then did as instructed. "Milk? I... feel... odd. Am I sick?"

"No, my dear." The old woman by the soldier's side said calmly. "You are in perfect health. Have you ever considered children?"

"Me?" Mercedes J-54 said, her eyes unfocused. "No... Always... had to focus on... job..." Vina turned bleak eyes to the others and the old woman sighed.

"Think about it, dear Mercedes J-54. Welcome." She said calmly. "Do you hear the music?" She prompted as the woman on the table gave a small cry. But not of fear. Of wonder.

"I... do." Mercedes J-54 said in a soft, wondering voice. "It is...so..." She gave small cry and went limp. Vina held her, crying softly. When Mercedes spoke again, it was calm. But... "Don't cry, Vina. I am here. I will help. I serve..." She turned her head to the side and looked at the soldier and the one beside him. "... The Clergy."

"Rest now, Mercedes J-54." The Reverend Mother said with a fond smile as her newest recruit tried to regain her equilibrium. "We have a lot of work to do. Not the least to keep that idiot Bek from figuring out that you and Vina now want to help the human _race_, not just the Board's _profits_."

"We will need to maintain fiscal structure." Mercedes J-54 said absently as Vina cried. "I think a shell corporation? How much do you wish to siphon?"

"None." The Reverend Mother said firmly. "I plan to let this facility keep on as it was. Making profits. Just... with slightly less stringent management of personnel." She smiled at Horatius who stared straight ahead. "I think an Orphanage and a Special Forces training facility will add to the facility's potential, yes?"

"There may be..." Mercedes J-54 paused and sighed. "There may be some initial capital expenditures. Those may be hard to hide. Personnel likewise."

"Personnel we have covered." The Reverend Mother assured her. "For now, rest. Think about children. Vina would love a little girl." She patted Mercedes J-54 on the shoulder and turned on her heel. A jerk of her head had the soldier following. "Horatius?" She murmured as he chuckled softly.

"And I thought _I_ was the sneaky one." The soldier said with a whistle of awe. "Stealing an entire _mining facility_..." He shook his head in admiration. "Not bad, boss. Not bad at _all_."

"Vina didn't need much correction." The Reverend Mother said with a shrug. "She knew right from wrong, she was just confused by that idiot Maxwell D-90. _She_ actually proposed this as soon as we inducted her. When she begged us to take her in. To give her guidance. I was... leery. But she was right. All personnel have been indoctrinated to our standards now. Security will see loyalty to the company and the Board as well as profits that will climb through the roof when she starts implementing some of the 'reforms' she will come up with. With our help." She smiled evilly. "And with a Special Forces training center here? Who would _dare_ attack it or try to steal her secrets?"

"_Someone_ will." Horatius cautioned. "Someone always has more guts than sense." He shook himself. "What word from Mars?"

"Odd." The Reverend Mother said with a wince. "If I didn't know better, I would say the Red Veil got real trained Special Forces soldiers from somewhere." Horatius shook his head and she nodded. "I know, but the thought of some _other_ group of humans running around making messes..."

"Of _Grineer_." Horatius said calmly and the Reverend Mother nodded soberly. "Whoever those guys are... there are not that many of them. But they are _good_. _Dang_ good. No signs, no tracks. Just destroyed Grineer bases and lots and lots of dead clones. If I didn't know better, I would say the _Forces_ are doing it too. But we aren't."

"We need to find out _who_ is doing it." The Reverend Mother said sharply. "And _soon_. We need to coordinate before the Grineer get organized and wipe them out."

"Just tracking them will be bad enough." Horatius said with a wince. "Making contact? Likely get our heads blown off. But..." He shrugged. "The difficult we do immediately, the _impossible_ just takes a little longer." He shook his head. "Then again... I would have said _this_ was impossible. Will you tell Mercedes J-54?"

"Not yet." The Reverend Mother said with a wince. "She isn't ready. Everything _has_ to be aboveboard and consensual after what that moron Maxwell D-90 did. But she is the only one on station who _might_ be compatible. I have data searches going for others. Discrete ones, but a lot of DNA files to check."

A heavy door ahead had _two_ sets of human guards. Four MOAs stood with them, two Shockwave, two Railgun. The security...wasn't overdone. Not for this. A DNA and retinal scanner demanded readings from both the old woman and the soldier. Only then did the door open. Only single medical person worked at a table. But it was what was _on_ the table that pulled the eye.

"You _realize_..." Horatius said with a sigh as he stared at what lay within the container. "If _anyone_ finds out what you have here, there _will_ be _**hell**_ to pay. The Board, the Grineer, the _Tenno_?" He winced.

"Tenno are more and less than humans." The Reverend Mother said softly. "The woman we called Lis F-43 was full human. Once. Every scan said that."

"She was." Sister Harriet agreed as she turned from the table, her face solemn. "But there was _so_ much damage. Brain and.. otherwise. None of us _knew_ if she would wake at _all_. Let alone recover so fast. No one thought to check until she was lucid. And then? She came around so fast. And... we didn't want to stress her. For what it is worth... It would have died due to the hemorrhaging. The automated systems did what they were designed to. Saved her and it. From what you said, she was hit badly in the abdomen. They may never realize." Horatius looked at her and she winced. "I know. It...felt wrong not to tell her. But Vina didn't want to stress her. I... don't think she was wrong. But this... _This_ feels wrong."

"I agree." The Reverend Mother said calmly. "I fully intend to... let them know we have this. Soon. _Once_ cleaning up after that Serene person was _more_ than enough." She said with a sigh. "I can only hope they let us sample. We _need_ more diversity. And Mercedes J-54 _is_ compatible with the right help. Vina wants a little girl. If we _can_, it would solve several problems. She was _good_, that Lis girl."

"If she hadn't been spoken for, I _would_ tried to recruit her." Horatius said with a shrug. "But _this_..." He shook his head. "Tell them _soon_. If they find out and we _didn't_ tell them... We cannot hold against a Tenno assault. There is just no way. Not yet. Maybe not _ever_. This facility is not a fortress. Was never meant to _be_ one. It would be a slaughter to no one's gain."

"I know. I _will_." The Reverend Mother promised. "But we have to be _careful_. I hope she will let us use this. We need more personnel in the conflicts against the Board and Grineer. More weapons to stand against the Long Night. Weapons like Gen H-12 and Lis. Ones who know _right_ from _wrong_. But if she says 'no'... That is the end of it. I do not want that weapon turned against _us_."

"Yes, that girl was a weapon, Ma'am." Harriet shook her head. "But... Some weapons are just too useful to leave idle, but... too _dangerous_ to use without caution."

"_Or_ without the consent of _all_ involved." Horatius agreed softly as he gazed at the _ovary_ in the stasis pod.

"Point taken."


End file.
